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The Arts Intel Report

The Colours of Judaism in Italy: Precious Textiles and Fabrics from Ancient Jerusalem to Contemporary Ready-to-Wear

June 27 – Oct 27, 2019
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

The title says it all. In an exhibition of eight sections, the curators examine the way fabric is woven through centuries of Jewish life and culture, paying particular attention to the ornamental properties of embroidered writing, the labor of embellishment, and collections of fabrics and textiles. As the scholar Esther Juhasz has written, “Torah mantles and sashes, Torah ark curtains, and reader’s desk covers” were often fashioned from precious articles of Jewish dress, and in many cases “donated garments were related to death and memory.” —L.J.