Circumcision Cushion Cover

This cushion cover exemplifies both the high artistic level achieved by Ottoman court ateliers and the Jewish assimilation of Ottoman cultural norms. The composition of the cover is distinctive. Narrow bands filled with series of discrete flowers border the cover on three sides and divide it into two horizontal fields. Three large flowers dominate the lower field and floral sprays occupy the corners of the upper section. Similar elements in the same arrangement decorate two saddle cloths produced in an Istanbul court atelier that were presented to King Gustavius Adoiphus of Sweden in 1626. The same "checkerboard" stitch used on the flowers of the cover also appear on the saddle cloths. However, several elements of the cushion cover embroidery indicate a later date: the use of tinsel and the character of the composition, which is less dense, more open.

To the basic composition the embroiderer of the cover added two Jewish motifs, a Star of David enclosing a stylized menorah. Executed at the same time as the remainder of the cushion embroidery, the presence of these symbols indicates that the cover was intended, from the first, to serve a ritual function. Nineteenth-century travellers' accounts and historical records suggest two possible uses: for carrying an infant to the synagogue for circumcision or for the Passover seder, when it is customary to recline as a sign of ease and freedom. The relatively minor wear on the pillow suggests it was used for circumcisions, rather than on Passover.

Source: Norman L. Kleeblatt and Vivian B. Mann. TREASURES OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM. New York: The Jewish Museum, 1986, pp. 40- 41.