On Shavuot, which falls in May or June (mid-May this year), Jews celebrate receiving the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. Read More +
Collecting antique Judaica
Author Archives: Melody Amsel-Arieli
A history of Steuben glass
Engraver Thomas G. Hawkes and English glassmaker Frederick Carder founded Steuben Glass Works in Corning, N.Y., in 1903. Carder was appointed artistic designer, production supervisor, and marketing director. Throughout his career, he continually experimented with innovative colors and techniques, like layering, acid-etching, and acid-cutting his glass.
Photo courtesy the Collection of the Corning Museum of Glass Read More +
The Wunderkammer: Curiosity cabinets were the birth of modern museums
During the Age of Exploration which began in the 15th century, European adventurers, while exploring and mapping lands beyond their shores, encountered a variety of cultures, plants, and animal species beyond their wildest imaginations. Read More +
Bewitching stitching: Historic needlework samplers
Girls’ handiwork of centuries past is now prized as historical records.
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The Rockefeller protects Israeli antiquities
It’s not often that burial caves and graves are discovered while digging the foundation for an archeological museum. But in Jerusalem, it’s not surprising. Read More +
Can labels brought art to the aisles
People, at the height of summer long ago, typically ate fresh foods. Like Aesop’s fabled ant, however, they also pared, parched, and preserved victuals for the coming winter. Read More +
From accident to innovation: Celebrating the craftsmanship and artistry of ancient Roman glass
“Man,” relates Roman historian Pliny, “discovered glass by accident.” Whether truth or legend, by about 2000 BC, Phoenician sea vessels were plying the Mediterranean coast laden with translucent glass bowls, flasks, and striped juglets. Read More +
Amber: For evil spells and remedies
Amber boasts a long and colorful history. To Stone Age people, it resembled the sun. To Greeks its golden-hued transparency suggested bird’s tears or urine of lynxes. Read More +
Did Napoleon need a nightlight?
When people shop for porcelain dinnerware, many ping the plates, then hold them up to a strong light source. Fine porcelain china rings when pinged. Since china is translucent, it also glows. Read More +
Novelty teapots
I am not a big tea fan. Though I recall once serving tea and tangerines to my dolls, tea, in our house, was strictly medicinal. It was reserved for dosing sore throats and barking coughs. Moroccan friends, however, introduced me to a different world of tea. Read More +