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Torah Crown

1778
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The animal called the re’em in Hebrew scripture was widely depicted as a unicorn in works of art created for the Jewish communities of Europe. A lion and a unicorn sometimes appear together in medieval Hebrew manuscripts and, later, on Torah shields. Here, they form one of several pairs of animals decorating a crown to be placed atop a rolled Torah scroll. They surely represent power, as articulated in Psalm 22. The strength of the unicorn is twice compared to God’s own power in the biblical Book of Numbers.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Torah Crown
  • Date: 1778
  • Culture: Polish (Galicia)
  • Medium: Silver and gilded silver
  • Dimensions: Overall: 12 3/16 × 8 1/8 in. (31 × 20.7 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Private collection, New York
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters