Description: TORNIELLO Agostino, Holland 1625
Caption: Closeup of the coverings of a tabernacle. Starting from left to right: curtains of fine linen, curtains of goat’s hair, ram’s skin dyed red, outer covering of badger’s skin. Badger skin had no particular beauty but protects against weather, storms, desert heat, and the wilderness life of travel. The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan (“Residence” or “Dwelling Place”). It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Its elements were made part of the final Temple in Jerusalem about the 10th century BC.The Tabernacle was a small tent which contained the most holy writings of the ancient Jews and which they took with them when they were traveling. 16 x 10 inch