Hidden Treasure . . . for Almost 500 Years

From the Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge in Paris, comes this wedding ring, the most technically accomplished example of goldsmith’s work in the Colmar Treasure. Its miniature dome and supporting arches mimic the imagined form of the lost Temple in Jerusalem, metaphorically connecting that site to the newlyweds’ home in France. Hebrew letters spell out “mazel tov” (good luck) and are enhanced by red and traces of green enamel. The ring is thought to have been made on the Italian peninsula before 1349. It is part of the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

A ceremonial Jewish wedding ring, from a private New York collection, supplements the items from the Colmar Treasure on exhibit. It dates from the late 13th or early 14th century, and a description from the period explains that it would have been placed on the index finger of a Jewish bride during the wedding ceremony. Between the columns of the little “temple” are Hebrew letters spelling out “mazel tov.” The ring is part of the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

One item from the Colmar Treasure is this Jeweled Brooch, made of gilded silver, sapphire, garnet, ruby and pearl. The central garnet is the only stone that is faceted, a technique that originated in the 14th century–although it may be a later replacement. From the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

This silver key is part of the medieval cache called the Colmar Treasure. Because it was made of a precious metal, it could be carried or worn as an accessory outside the home during the Sabbath. From the Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge in Paris, it is part of the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

This simple Star and Crescent Ring is made of gold and thought to date from the 13th or early 14th century. It was one of several rings and sequin-like decorative studs found in the jewelry box discovered in Colmar in 1863. From the Musée de Cluny, it’s part of the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

This onyx ring from the Colmar Treasure features clasped hands fashioned of gold, the motif still common today. Onyx, however, is highly unusual among medieval rings. A Hebrew treatise from 1290 links onyx with communicating with a departed loved one. From the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

This silver and gilded-silver double drinking cup is from the Met Cloisters’ own collection and thought to have been made in Prague. The “three hats” design on the lid of the cup corresponds to the symbol of a Jewish family from Zurich. Circling the lid are the names of the Three Magi: In medieval Europe, both Christians and Jews invoked their names for good health. From the Met Cloisters’ “Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy” exhibit, open through January 12, 2020.

BEING AN OUTSIDER or a newcomer can confer advantage: You may see things with fresh eyes, see possibilities where old-timers don’t. But it can also be a liability. Ask any American immigrant who is nervous in the current climate.

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Now consider the 14th-century Jewish community of Colmar, an Alsatian city along the Rhine River in what is modern-day France and then was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Those residents too were recent immigrants, living alongside a largely Christian population and making  their livelihood as merchants as part of the growing wine industry. They flourished under the pope and were governed and in some ways protected by the emperor.

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Then came the Plague of 1348-49, which wound up killing an enormous percentage of the European population. When it spread to  Colmar, the fearful, angry townspeople blamed the disease on their water—and then accused their Jewish neighbors of poisoning the wells. The pope asserted their innocence, but the emperor turned a blind eye to the rule of law, and in the end the townspeople of Colmar burned the city’s Jewish residents to death.

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Fast-forward to 1863, when workmen were renovating a confectionery shop on the Colmar street once called the Rue des Juifs (Street of the Jews). Immured in the structure was a small cache—rings, brooches, keys and coins—tucked away by the building’s inhabitants no doubt to protect their possessions until they could return home. It’s unlikely they ever did.

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The so-called Colmar Treasure has belonged to the Musée de Cluny in Paris since 1923 and is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters outpost, in a verdant setting at the northern reaches of Manhattan (but still accessible by subway!). The Cloisters team has added precious objects of a similar nature to bulk up what is a small trove of rather delicate treasures.

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The location of the find (talk about objets trouvés!) on the “Jewish street” suggested the original ownership of the jewelry and trinkets, but the Hebrew writing on several pieces—rings, a drinking cup—certainly seems like proof that these were owned by middle-class Jewish residents who kept their ancient traditions while living as a religious and cultural minority.

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Time spent with the Colmar Treasure is time well spent. Then you can nip upstairs to reacquaint yourself with the Unicorn tapestries, the Merode Altarpiece and other marvels of the Middle Ages.

—Nancy McKeon

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“The Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy,” Met Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, New York 10040; 212-923-3700, met museum.org.