Embroidered cloth - synagogue mappah. Italy, [1880] or [1897].
Embroidery with cotton threads, gold threads, sequins and gold spiral threads on red silk fabric.
The entire map is decorated with dense, impressive embroidery in vegetal patterns: flowers, tendrils and twigs, leaves, grape clusters and fruit. On the bottom, inside a rectangular frame is an embroidered dedication in Hebrew: "This Mappah was donated by Eliyah… for the soul of his son Yitzchak David Chai, 5640" (The last Hebrew letter of the Hebrew year is not clear enough to distinguish between the letter "mem" [40] and the two letters "nun-zayin" [57]).
58X50 cm. Good condition. Slight unraveling. The back is sewn onto cotton and yellow silk fabric sheets.
Provenance: Willy Lindwer collection.