A Textile from İzmir with an Embroidered Lion. Remnant of the Robe of Sabbatai Zevi?
A Textile from İzmir with an Embroidered Lion. Remnant of the Robe of Sabbatai Zevi?

Summary/Abstract: (Article transl. by S. Hattersley) In February 2007 the Jewish Museum in Prague was contacted by Mr. Efe Erginer from the Turkish city of İzmir (historically Smyrna) with a request to assess a textile treasure in his possession, namely a red fabric with an embroidered lion motif placed in a floral wreath. Drawing on the claims of people from among the Maaminim (a religious society of followers of Sabbatai Zevi) of İzmir, Mr. Erginer mentioned that this was a fragment of a caftan that actually belonged to Sabbatai Zevi, who wore it during religious services. Mr. Erginer, who is a Muslim and does not belong to the Maaminim, informed us via e-mail of how the symbolism on the textile had been interpreted by members of the Maaminim. The item was presented to us via a low-definition colour digital picture. The matter was looked into by two of the Jewish Museum’s specialists, Dana Veselská and Alexandr Putík. After analyzing the picture, they came up with a preliminary hypothesis as to when and where the textile was made and regarding the possible circumstances under which it may have come to the Ottoman Empire. Further research enabled the sending of quality digital images of the item by Mr. Erginer, who via e-mail clarified certain details concerning the finding of the item and the traditions connected with the robe, as well as offering his own interpretation of particular aspects. The results of the research carried out by the Jewish Museum’s staff can now be presented for discussion by experts.

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