Shiviti plate. Kurdistan, end of the 19th century.
Holy name at top center. Menorah candelabra with the “Lamnatzeich B’Neginot” chapter of psalms. Red floral and flask decorations. Unique hymn on both sides and under the menorah. Begins with a ‘…plea from the holy community..’ and refers to the Purim miracle. Hymn composed by Yefet Binaya. In his “Jews of Kurdistan”, ethnologist Erich Brauer writes that this hymn was recited in Kurdish communities before the megilla recital.
[1] paper leaf. Written in ink with colored illustrations. 36×45 cm. Within a glass frame (not inspected outside of the frame). Tears in the fold without loss, a few aging stains. Moderate condition.
Refer to “Machanayim”, issue 104, Adar 1976, for a similar plate and “Ha’Amanut HaYehudit”, Massada publishing, p. 109.