 |
||
Ark of the synagogue in Olkienniki, Lithuania, eighteenth century / photo courtesy Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Sztuki, Warsaw |
The most important object in the synagogue is the ark that contains the sacred Torah scrolls, the Five Books of Moses handwritten on parchment, portions of which are read during services. As the repository for the Torah scrolls, the ark is the focal point of the sanctuary or prayer hall and is customarily placed on the eastern wall, leading the congregation to obey the commandment to turn east, toward Jerusalem, to pray. Eastern and Central European arks were usually elaborately carved structures of three or four distinct levels that might have risen to an astonishing height of 30 feet or more. Densely worked with carved elements, including foliage, animals (biblical, mythical, and real), fruits, and columns, and sometimes brightly painted and gilded, these superstructures usually also incorporated symbolic motifs such as the Tablets of the Law (Decalogue), the hands of the priests (kohanim) disposed in a gesture of blessing, and animals that hold deeper meanings in Hebrew texts and lore.
 |
||
TORAH ARK ORNAMENT: DECALOGUE TOPPED BY PRIESTLY HANDS FROM CONGREGATION ADAS ISRAEL / artist unidentified / Hartford, Connecticut / late nineteenth century / paint and gold leaf on wood / 29 1/2 x 19 x 2 1/2" / The Judaica Museum of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, New York / photo by August Bandal, New York |
In North America, the rich and elaborate symbolic vocabulary of Eastern European carved Torah arks was contained to a smaller number of key elements: lions, Decalogues, hands of the kohanim, eagles, and crowns.
Lions, in particular, are depicted in myriad ways but are, almost without exception, gilded. Many have their mouth open, painted red and revealing sharp teeth. Protruding eyes, sometimes of red glass, or, when carved, often painted blood red, transfix the viewer.
Some lions were even embellished with electric lightbulbs for eyes, impelling the viewer’s eyes toward the ark and the Tablets of the Law. Manes, often elaborately carved and heavily textured, cascade down and flare out to surround and frame the head. Tails that whip around are directional and highly expressive. Attack paws are stretched out, supporting and defending the Decalogue. These sentinels on either side of the Tablets of the Law
are in turn supported by elaborate floral scrollwork, which adds rhythm, color, and ornament to the ensemble.
 |
||
LIONS, DECALOGUE, AND EAGLE / artist unidentified / Scranton, Pennsylvania / c. 1920 / paint and gold paint on wood with lightbulbs / 74 x 85 x 11 1/2" / collection of Rabbi David A. Whiman / photo by August Bandal, New York |
