Esther Scroll and Case

Artist Unknown

Date19th century

MediumCase: silver, partly gilded; scroll: ink on parchment

DimensionsH. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm)

ClassificationsMetal

Credit LineGift of Drs. Abram and Frances Pascher Kanof

Object numberG.78.3.2

On View

On view

Label Text
Purim commemorates the rescue of the Jews of ancient Persia from the murderous plot of Haman, the king's advisor. The plot is foiled by Queen Esther, who reveals Haman's treachery to King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), the moment dramatized by painter Jan Lievens in The Feast of Esther, also in the Museum's collection. Purim is celebrated in the synagogue by the reading of the Book of Esther, traditionally inscribed on a parchment scroll and kept in an ornamented case.ProvenanceCreated Galicia [present day Poland or Ukraine], 19th century. Drs. Abram and Frances Pascher Kanof, Raleigh, NC; given to NCMA, 1978.
Published ReferencesMark I. Pinsky, "Jewish Gems: North Carolina's unique collection of spiceboxes, seder plates and silver," The North Carolina Independent SPECTRUM (September 14-27, 1984), 17 (illus.).

L. E. [Lisa Eveleigh], "Private Collectors Share Their Art," North Carolina Museum of Art Preview (Autumn 1992), illus. (b-w) 14.

Abram Kanof, A Guide to the Judaic Art Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1996), cat. no. 32, pp. 18, 42-43, illus. 18, 42.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions,” December 14, 1978-January 28, 1979.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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