Auction 86 - Part I - Rare & Important Items
Bezalel Rug – Seven-Branch Candelabra and the Tablets of the Law – Jerusalem, Early 20th Century
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000
Sold for: $2,750
Including buyer's premium
Pictorial rug depicting a seven-branch candelabrum and the Tablets of the Law, made at Bezalel. Jerusalem, [1906 to 1914].
Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation.
The central panel – the outline of which echoes that of the Tablets of the Law – displays an Art Nouveau-style candelabrum with intertwined branches, a familiar design by early Bezalel artists. The rug’s stylized base is decorated with Stars of David and 'Zion' monograms; the same inscription repeats in the border. The Tablets of the Law appear within the candelabrum's main shaft, with the word 'Zion' once again in the background, behind the candelabrum's branches. The entire central panel is strewn with small seven-branch candelabras. Signed "Bezalel Jerusalem" in the border.
134X105 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Strap sewn to verso.
Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.
Reference:
1. Jewish Carpets, by Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, pp. 95.
2. Gereh International Carpet and Textile Review, Issue 12, June 1997, pp. 8.
Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation.
The central panel – the outline of which echoes that of the Tablets of the Law – displays an Art Nouveau-style candelabrum with intertwined branches, a familiar design by early Bezalel artists. The rug’s stylized base is decorated with Stars of David and 'Zion' monograms; the same inscription repeats in the border. The Tablets of the Law appear within the candelabrum's main shaft, with the word 'Zion' once again in the background, behind the candelabrum's branches. The entire central panel is strewn with small seven-branch candelabras. Signed "Bezalel Jerusalem" in the border.
134X105 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Strap sewn to verso.
Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.
Reference:
1. Jewish Carpets, by Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, pp. 95.
2. Gereh International Carpet and Textile Review, Issue 12, June 1997, pp. 8.
Jewish Ceremonial Art, Carpets
Jewish Ceremonial Art, Carpets