The Esther Scroll is read during Purim, a joyous festival celebrated on the 14th of the Hebrew month Adar. The holiday commemorates the story of Haman, Ahasuerus’ vizier, who plotted against the Jews of Persia. With the intervention of Queen Esther, the plot was prevented and Haman was punished. Esther scrolls were often decorated with watercoloured sidebars, pictorial and floral patterns. The Ioannina Megillah highlights the unique traditional craft of handmade silver and goldsmith artifacts produced by the local workshops of Epirus since the Byzantine period. Traditionally, the Megillah was offered as a gift to a newlywed couple from the father in-law to the groom a well-known custom in the Jewish Community of Ioannina.

Time Period: 1800 – 1900 CE

Size: H: 32 cm

Artist: Unknown

Material: Silver, Parchment

Institution: The Jewish Museum of Greece