“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut, painted in watercolor, for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], 1914.
Papercut, hand-made and painted in watercolor, with gilt calligraphy. The work centers around the (Hebrew) words “In Honor of the Holiday of Shavu’ot, Festival of the Giving of the Torah” in large gilt letters. Surrounding the letters and intertwined within them are slender branches bearing flowers, buds, and leaves. Birds are perched on the branches. Inscribed (in Hebrew) on the back of the papercut: “Made in Year 1914”.

The art of papercutting is believed to be the quintessential expression of European Jewish folk art. Eastern European Jewish papercuts assumed many different forms and exhibited a wealth of themes and motifs, to serve a wide range of purposes. They were used as “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; “Yahrzeit” plaques; “Shir HaMa’alot” (“Song of Ascent”, Psalms 121) plaques, believed to give protection to childbearing mothers and newborns; “roizelakh” (rose-shaped ornaments) to decorate the household during the Shavu’ot holiday; “Ushpizin” plaques for the Sukkot holiday; and other forms of items.

The present papercut represents a local "Eretz Israel" variation on the type of "roizelakh" made specifically for Shavu'ot; unlike its Eastern European counterparts, this one is not symmetrical, nor is it laid out according to the typical plan of Shavu'ot roizelakh from Eastern Europe. Nor does it follow the design of other, more traditional, Shavu'ot roizelakh made by Geiger himself. But it does in fact resemble "Mizrah" and "Shiviti" papercut plaques, and its creator, Yosef Zvi Geiger, lived and was active among the inhabitants of the Old Jewish Yishuv in Safed, many of whose members had brought with them the traditions of the Eastern European Jewish communities from which they originated.

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23.5X24 cm. Overall good condition. Pinholes to margins. Few stains and creases. Slight tears. Small repairs with adhesive tape.

Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most accomplished and prominent public figures involved with Safed’s Torah and charity institutions. Served as general secretary of Safed’s “kolel” institutions, and was influential in running them. His home served as a regular meeting place for the “gaba’im” (managers) of the various “kolelim” and congregations. The Yishuv’s foremost newspapers – including “Havatzelet, ” “HaLevanon, ” and “HaZefirah” – all regularly published his articles. His penmanship and elegant calligraphy rendered his handwriting eminently legible; among his many other duties, he served as a “sofer” (ritual scribe) for the kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in his hometown of Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; calligraphic and illustrated title pages for “donors’ books”; illuminated donors’ certificates and letters of greeting; and papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries in Safed glowingly recall the beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the town’s couples, decorated with gilt lettering and with floral and vegetal patterns; and artworks he created to adorn the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit entire biblical verses onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi’s grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled “One of the Elders of Safed, ” Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone, and his lettering appears on a number of Safed’s headstones.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.