Covering nearly 4000 years, this extensively illustrated study traces the history of Jewish art from its origins - the Temple in Jerusalem, circa 2000 BC - to the work of the 20th-century artist, Marc Chagall. It offers a survey of the art produced within, and inspired by, Jewish civilizations on five continents, incorporating religious painting, sculpture and architecture, mosaics, frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, silver, textiles, and other decorative objects. The works featured in the book include synagogues in Eastern and Central Europe which were preserved in the former Soviet bloc.