Virtual Curator Talk: Sacred Splendor: Jewish Ritual Art and Christian Treasures from St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

This virtual lecture, led by Claudia Nahson, Morris and Eva Feld Senior Curator, and Abigail Rapoport, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Curator of Judaica, examines the Jewish Museum’s exhibition Sacred Splendor: Jewish Ritual Art and Christian Treasures from St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (on view through Feb. 7, 2027). The show brings Jewish and Christian sacred art from medieval to early modern Europe into dialogue, illuminating complex, interconnected histories across more than six centuries. The exhibition features Christian reliquaries on loan from St. Vitus Cathedral—the most extensive presentation of this treasury ever exhibited outside Europe—together with Jewish treasures never before shown in the United States. Nahson and Rapoport will examine the shared urban and artistic environments, and the distinct ritual and theological frameworks that shaped sacred art across Central Europe. Highlights of the exhibition include rarely seen medieval Jewish-owned objects from hoards buried during periods of persecution that remained hidden for centuries, as well as Jewish ceremonial works from Bohemia and the Germanic regions, among them Torah ornaments, metalwork, and manuscripts. This course is presented in partnership with Roundtable at 92NY and highlights research from our special exhibition Sacred Splendor: Jewish Ritual Art and Christian Treasures from St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (on view through Feb. 7, 2027). For inquiries, please contact [email protected] . Tickets: $57.50 General; $40.25 Roundtable Members.