Auction 88 - Part I - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
Mizrach/Shiviti plaque. [Eastern Europe], 1865.
Ink on paper.
Decorative frame composed of an arch reading "Know before whom you stand…", supported by columns containing prayer and Torah verses. Within the arch, a crown containing the "Shiviti" verse, supported by two tablets of the law inscribed with the ten commandments, surmounts a tree composed of Psalms verses depicting the ideal Jewish family and featuring a central medallion reading "Mizrach". Two hands, surmounting decorative triangular frames stating the names of the groom and the bride – "Nathan son of Yehuda Schwartz(?)", "Yent daughter of Hirsch Green", flank the tree. Dated Lag BaOmer 1865.
Approx. 23X21 cm. Fair condition. Stains and tears, mostly to margins and edge. Wooden frame, damaged. Unexamined out of frame.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Large, elaborate plaque, depicting the temple seven-branch lamp, the Dome of the Rock, "Midrash Shlomo" and Moses and Aaron. Jerusalem, [late 19th or early 20th century].
Ink, watercolor and gold paint on paper.
Large ornate seven branched lamp at center, with the text of Psalm 67 within the branches. Topped by the verse opening with the word "shiviti", other verses and letter combinations. Surrounded by two arches; Star of David calligram composed of letter combinations; two hamsa hands inscribed with the priestly blessing; Moses and Aaron; the steps of the temple lamp and the laver. The lamp's foot is placed on the Western Wall shown underneath, flanked by the iconic cypress trees identified with the place in traditional Jewish folk art. At bottom right is "Midrash Shlomo" (Al-Aqsa) and at bottom left – "the temple, may it be built soon, amen" (the Dome of the Rock). Border composed of verses and a spell against the evil eye, listing dozens of types of evil eyes and based on a formula by Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulay, the Chida.
Approx. 55X37.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Mounted on linen. Open tears to edges. Tears, repaired by mounting. Dampstains. Creases.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Handsome Shiviti plaque by Bezalel graduate Haim Mahboub. Jerusalem, 1933.
Ink and gouache on parchment.
Seven-branched lamp calligram at center, composed of Psalm 67, topped by the verse opening with the word "shiviti", flanked by two Stars of David containing the word "Zion". Surrounded by verses and letter combinations as well as artful vegetal patterns. Dedicated to "Rabbi Shimon Yitzhak ben Avraham" and signed "Haim Mahboub, 26 Adar 5693".
Haim Mahboub was a student at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts between 1919-1920 and is listed in the Schatz's Bezalel exhibition catalog. Works by him are kept in the Israel Museum collection.
23X29 cm. Fair condition. Considerable warping to parchment. Loss to ink and paint.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Fine lithograph Shiviti plaque, decorated by hand, "by the artist Mordechai Hanoun". [Sephardic lands, ca. early 20th century].
Lithograph; gouache; metallic foil.
Large plaque, divided into three pointed arches. The central arch contains the verse of Shiviti with a LaMenatze'ach Menorah surrounded by the menorah utensils; name of artist signed on menorah base. Engraving-like illustrations of Moses and Aaron, depicted within niches in the two side archways, resembling the illustrations on the title page of the Amsterdam Haggadah. The plaque is inexpertly hand-colored, and decorated with pieces of metallic foil (on the plaque and in cutouts).
The composition and choice of texts is different to the standard, and the impact of various influences is apparent: the figures of Moses and Aaron, the dedication to the donor (written at foot of plaque), and the prayer for sons taken from an Ashkenazi rite siddur, are all typical of Shiviti plaques from Jerusalem. In contrast, the typography is typical of the Persian region, and metallic foil is common in papercuts from North-Africa.
Approx. 60X46 cm. Fair-good condition. Tears. Marginal open tears. Stains. Mounted on leaves of a ledger (with French bookkeeping records).
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Printed ketubah. Bombay, India, 1915.
Decorative border printed in green and hand-colored. Stamp of the Magen David Synagogue in Bombay at top center (in red).
Lithographed text, completed and signed by hand.
Marriage contract in English printed on verso, completed and signed by hand.
Approx. 32 cm. Fair condition. Stains and damp damage (including fading and ink stains). Folding marks. Tears to margins and folds (slightly affecting text), repaired in part with tape (on verso).
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Temple de Jerusalem – Solomon's Temple and Jerusalem, hand-colored engraving, after Romeyn de Hooghe. [Amsterdam]: I. Lindenbergh (Jacob Lindenberg), [early 18th century].
The engraving, which is taken from the book "'T Groot Waerelds Tafereel..." which reviews world history since its creation, is based on the map of Jerusalem by Juan Bautista Villalpando. It depicts Solomon's Temple and the bustling city surrounding it. The city wall is seen in the foreground of the engraving. Legend of the main landmarks beneath the engraving.
Engraving: approx. 37X22 cm. (leaf: 47X41 cm). Good condition. Minor stains. Creases. Minor marginal tears.
Laor 1045.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.