Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material / Ilia M. Rodov -- 1. Medieval Synagogues in Cracow and Kazimierz / Ilia M. Rodov -- 2. The Renaissance Reaches Jewish Kazimierz / Ilia M. Rodov -- 3. The Isserls’ Torah Ark: Decontructing the Bricolage / Ilia M. Rodov -- 4. The Isserls’ Torah Ark: Recontructing the Unity / Ilia M. Rodov -- 5. Developments of the Isserls’ Model in Kazimierz / Ilia M. Rodov -- 6. From Kazimierz to Pińczów and Szydłów / Ilia M. Rodov -- 7. Revivals of Ancient Art in the Design of Late-Sixteenth- to Mid- Seventeenth-Century Ark / Ilia M. Rodov -- Afterword / Ilia M. Rodov -- Illustration Credits and Sources / Ilia M. Rodov -- Bibliography / Ilia M. Rodov -- Index of Names / Ilia M. Rodov -- Index of Places / Ilia M. Rodov -- Figures and Plates / Ilia M. Rodov.

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The volume explores the stone carved shrines for the scrolls of the Mosaic Law from the mid-sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth century synagogues in the former Polish Kingdom. Created on the margin of mainstream art and at a crossroad of diverse cultures, artistic traditions, aesthetic attitudes and languages, these indoor architectural structures have hitherto not been the subject of a monographic study. Revisiting and integrating multiple sources, the author re-evaluates the relationship of the Jewish culture in Renaissance Poland with the medieval Jewish heritage, sepulchral art of the Polish court and nobles, and earlier adaptations of the Christian revival of classical antiquity by Italian Jews. The book uncovers the evolution of artistic patronage, aesthetics, expressions of identities, and emerging visions among a religious minority on the cusp of the modern age.

Description based on print version record.