Auction 80 - Part I - Jewish and Israeli History, Art and Culture
Joseph Budko (1888-1940) – The Torah Ark of the Płońsk Synagogue – Original Drawing – Płońsk, 1913
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $1,250
Including buyer's premium
"Heilige Lade" der Synagoge zu Plonsk, Russ-Polen. 1816-19 ["Torah Ark" of the Plonsk Synagogue, Russian-Poland, 1816-19], drawing by Joseph Budko. Płońsk, (July-August 1913).
Pencil on paper. Signed and dated in Hebrew and German; captioned in German.
Large, impressive drawing of the Torah Ark of the synagogue in Płońsk, birthplace of artist Joseph Budko.
The Great Synagogue of Płońsk was built in the late 18th century or early 19th century. The Torah Ark which occupied the entire width of the eastern wall and reached the ceiling of the synagogue was carved by the artist Shmuel Goldbaum, who worked on it for several years. Shmuel Goldbaum, also known as "Der Kempner Schnitzler" ("The Woodcarver of Kempno"), was renowned for the impressive wood carvings for Torah Arks he made during the early 19th century in Poland.
About this illustration, Yisrael Yitzchak Kalisch wrote: "When I was visiting Budko's workshop in Berlin - he told me about his desire to sketch Ezekiel's 'Works of the Chariot' at the Płońsk synagogue … I dared to tell him: Budko, Budko! Why do you need Ezekiel's Works of Chariot on the walls of the Płońsk synagogue? Don't you have a more realistic subject from the daily life of Płońsk? […] Budko added later: wait my friend, I will yet come to Płońsk to give you the 'Mizrach' (eastern wall) of the synagogue, where I was raised. And indeed, after just several months, R. Joseph Budko came to Płońsk. It was on a market day, one of those Płońsk summer days which remain burned in one's memory [..] and there inside, in the synagogue, stands Budko with his apron, paintbrush in hand, focused on his sacred work on the Bimah, facing the Torah Ark, in submission, like a student listening to his rabbi, absorbing every word into his soul, every word explained to him by the Shamash Chaim Grayk about the ornaments of the Torah Ark […] and like the High Priest working on Yom Kippur in the Temple – devoted entirely to God – so is Budko standing with his paintbrush, fulfilling a sacred role: to commemorate the 'Mizrach' of the Płońsk synagogue for future generations" (The Book of Płońsk [Hebrew], pp. 159-160).
David Ben-Gurion, a native of Płońsk and of the same age as Budko, recalled: "The Płońsk synagogue was renowned for its wonderful and beautifully decorated Torah Ark, considered one of the most exquisite in Poland. The Płońsk artist Joseph Budko sketched the Ark, and a copy of the sketch is preserved in my shed at Sde Boker" (The Book of Płońsk, p. 31).
Leaf: 38X48 cm. Fair-good condition. Tears (some of them open), restored. Stains, including dampstains, and minor wear. Leaf mounted entirely on thin acid-free paper and matted.
Pencil on paper. Signed and dated in Hebrew and German; captioned in German.
Large, impressive drawing of the Torah Ark of the synagogue in Płońsk, birthplace of artist Joseph Budko.
The Great Synagogue of Płońsk was built in the late 18th century or early 19th century. The Torah Ark which occupied the entire width of the eastern wall and reached the ceiling of the synagogue was carved by the artist Shmuel Goldbaum, who worked on it for several years. Shmuel Goldbaum, also known as "Der Kempner Schnitzler" ("The Woodcarver of Kempno"), was renowned for the impressive wood carvings for Torah Arks he made during the early 19th century in Poland.
About this illustration, Yisrael Yitzchak Kalisch wrote: "When I was visiting Budko's workshop in Berlin - he told me about his desire to sketch Ezekiel's 'Works of the Chariot' at the Płońsk synagogue … I dared to tell him: Budko, Budko! Why do you need Ezekiel's Works of Chariot on the walls of the Płońsk synagogue? Don't you have a more realistic subject from the daily life of Płońsk? […] Budko added later: wait my friend, I will yet come to Płońsk to give you the 'Mizrach' (eastern wall) of the synagogue, where I was raised. And indeed, after just several months, R. Joseph Budko came to Płońsk. It was on a market day, one of those Płońsk summer days which remain burned in one's memory [..] and there inside, in the synagogue, stands Budko with his apron, paintbrush in hand, focused on his sacred work on the Bimah, facing the Torah Ark, in submission, like a student listening to his rabbi, absorbing every word into his soul, every word explained to him by the Shamash Chaim Grayk about the ornaments of the Torah Ark […] and like the High Priest working on Yom Kippur in the Temple – devoted entirely to God – so is Budko standing with his paintbrush, fulfilling a sacred role: to commemorate the 'Mizrach' of the Płońsk synagogue for future generations" (The Book of Płońsk [Hebrew], pp. 159-160).
David Ben-Gurion, a native of Płońsk and of the same age as Budko, recalled: "The Płońsk synagogue was renowned for its wonderful and beautifully decorated Torah Ark, considered one of the most exquisite in Poland. The Płońsk artist Joseph Budko sketched the Ark, and a copy of the sketch is preserved in my shed at Sde Boker" (The Book of Płońsk, p. 31).
Leaf: 38X48 cm. Fair-good condition. Tears (some of them open), restored. Stains, including dampstains, and minor wear. Leaf mounted entirely on thin acid-free paper and matted.
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