Auction 80 - Part I - Jewish and Israeli History, Art and Culture
Candelabra and Jerusalem Skyline Rug – Bezalel
Opening: $250
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Pictorial rug depicting Art Nouveau candelabra and the Jerusalem skyline. Signed ‘Bezalel, Yerushalem.’ [Palestine/Israel, 20th century.]
Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation.
The central panel depicts a candelabrum with intertwined branches, flanked by two identical half-hidden candelabra. A fictional Jerusalem skyline is shown in the background, with inscriptions (in Hebrew) reading 'David's Citadel' and 'Temple Mount' at the bottom, within the candelabra's bases. A horizontal strip beneath the candelabra contains a repeating pattern of Stars of David and the words ‘Bezalel’ and ‘Yerushalem.’ The rectangular border contains a repetitive pattern of the word ‘Zion’ inside Stars of David.
This rug is identical in design (but with slight variations) to an early Bezalel rug; see ‘Jewish Carpets’ by Anton Felton (Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., Woodbridge, 1997); pp.96-97. The present rug may have been produced in the Bezalel rug workshop, but it may have been produced later, based on the Bezalel design.
40x180cm. Good condition. Sporadic damage and stains.
Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.
Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation.
The central panel depicts a candelabrum with intertwined branches, flanked by two identical half-hidden candelabra. A fictional Jerusalem skyline is shown in the background, with inscriptions (in Hebrew) reading 'David's Citadel' and 'Temple Mount' at the bottom, within the candelabra's bases. A horizontal strip beneath the candelabra contains a repeating pattern of Stars of David and the words ‘Bezalel’ and ‘Yerushalem.’ The rectangular border contains a repetitive pattern of the word ‘Zion’ inside Stars of David.
This rug is identical in design (but with slight variations) to an early Bezalel rug; see ‘Jewish Carpets’ by Anton Felton (Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., Woodbridge, 1997); pp.96-97. The present rug may have been produced in the Bezalel rug workshop, but it may have been produced later, based on the Bezalel design.
40x180cm. Good condition. Sporadic damage and stains.
Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.
Carpets
Carpets