- Object Name:
- Torah Ark Fragment
- Title:
- Blessing Hands
- Place Made:
- Boston, United States
- Date:
- 1893
- Medium:
- Wood: carved and incised; gold paint
- Dimensions:
- 13 1/2 × 8 1/4 × 1 13/16 in. (34.3 × 21 × 4.6 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman
- Accession Number:
- F 4751f-g
Tags:
Not On View
These hands repeat a gesture made by the ancient priests and their descendants to bless the congregation. They were made to decorate a Torah ark in the Tifereth Israel synagogue in Boston and were originally embellished with gold leaf. When they were later retouched, gold paint was used, suggesting a shift in the fortunes of either the synagogue or the sculpture itself.
Information may change as a result of ongoing research.