Auction 94 Part 1 Important Items from the Gross Family Collection
Mizrach plaque – papercut by Shalom son of Chaim Halevi Horowitz. England, [1890/1891]. Hebrew and English.
Papercut, ink and pencil.
A Mizrach plaque from the late Victorian period: an elaborate papercut – among the largest and most detailed papercuts documented – resembling a lace fabric full of rich decorations, dense arabesques, intertwining vegetal patterns, birds, fruits, zodiac symbols, lions, horses and Stars of David – arranged in a complex architectural structure, typical of Jewish papercuts from the Galicia region, which might attest to the origins of its maker.
At the top of the plaque, under the inscription "Keter Malchut", appears the United Kingdom coat of arms: a shield decorated with a crown, and a pair of animals supporting it – a lion, representing England, and a unicorn, representing Scotland. At the two upper corners and under the royal coat of arms appear text frames with a dedication and prayer for Queen Victoria (1819-1901), Crown Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), and the royal family, handwritten (English).
Next to the United Kingdom coat of arms appear the saying: "Pray for the welfare of the state, for if not for fear of it, man would swallow his fellow alive" (Avot 3:2). Below it appears a royal variation on another saying characteristic of Mizrach posters: "Know before Whom you are standing: before the King of Kings of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He" (Avot 3:1).
At the center of the plaque appears the fixed formula for Mizrach posters – "From this side, a spirit of life and peace" (Hebrew). The addition of the word "peace" is apparently an allusion to the name of the artist, Shalom. The frame is supported by two lions – another common motif in this kind of plaques, and an allusion to the United Kingdom coat of arms.
Under the inscription appears a large seven-branched menorah, with a base made in an endless knot pattern and branches inscribed in delicate micrography with the verses of Psalm 67 ("Lamnatzeach"). The menorah is placed under a bow supported by pillars drawn as dense arabesques, with the names of the twelve constellations and their symbols cut out and decorated in pencil. Between the pillars appear text frames with the verse "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob", and the aphorism "Man worries about the loss of his money but does not worry about the loss of his days; his money does not help him and his days do not return". At the bottom appears a text frame with a dedicatory inscription: "Israel, Your holy people in the world, called a 'wall', hope for Your salvation, Lord. Blessed be their souls; may the strong one answer them, fulfill their requests. Please hurry from Zion, O sought-after one". The highlighted acrostic letters spell out the name Yaakov Nechemiah son of Chaim. Below the inscription appears the name "Mrs. Finkelsten". It may be that the papercut had been ordered by Mrs. Finkelsten and dedicated to Yaakov Nechemiah ben Chaim.
At the bottom margin there is an additional text frame with the artist's signature: "The work of my hand, Shalom ben Chaim HaLevi Horowitz, 1891".
The plaque is placed in a wooden frame decorated with patterns matching the papercut – apparently of the same period.
Papercut: Approx. 65X68.5 cm. Frame: 90x91.5 cm. Good condition. Light stains and creases. Light wear, damages and fractures in the frame. Background paper replaced.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. Written in the Stars. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 2001 (Hebrew).
2. Jewish tradition in papercuts, by Naomi Shapira. Kfar HaOranim, Matan Arts 2018, p. 36 (Hebrew).
3. Traditional Jewish Papercuts, by Joseph and Yehudit Shadur. London and Hanover, University Press of New England, 2002, p. 80.
4. Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
5. Jodendom: een boek vol verhalen, by Edward van Voolen. Amsterdam, Museumshop De Nieuwe Kerk, 2011, no. 62.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 036.011.016.
This Mizrach plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48935.
Kabbalistic Shiviti plaque, with a LaMenatze'ach Menorah. [Produced by Moshe Aryeh of Yarmit (Balassagyarmat) Hungary, presumably Budapest, late 18th century / ca. 1800].
Ink and paint on parchment.
Uniquely shaped parchment cutout with a LaMenatze'ach Menorah, verses and kabbalistic combinations of Holy Names for protection. The upper part of the plaque contains the inscription: "Known before Whom you stand", with its initials in large, hollow characters, colored in pink with gilt leaves and flowers; gilt flowers and crowns top the letters. A large LaMenatze'ach Menorah occupies the lower part of the plaque, also colored in pink and gold, with the inscription "Shiviti Hashem LeNegdi Tamid" above it.
The entire surface of the plaque is covered in protective verses, kabbalistic letter combinations, Holy Names, various initials; as well as kabbalistic kavanot.
The scribe who produced this plaque was identified by comparison with another plaque in the Gross Family Collection – a decorated prayer on parchment (item no. 090.012.012), bearing the artist's signature, as well as the place and year (see: Center for Jewish Art, item no. 49811; Kedem Auction 92, item no. 125).
49.5X42 cm. Overall good condition. Some creases and stains, minor marginal tears and holes.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 058.012.175.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 49579.
"Mizrach" wall plaque, handwritten and hand-painted. Created by Jacob Haas, native of Strasbourg, on behalf of Mordechai ben Aharon Westheimer and his wife "the Officer" Mme. Rivkah. Niedenstein, Germany, 23rd of Av, 5580 [August 1820].
Colored ink on paper.
"Mizrach" wall plaque to be hung on the eastern wall of a private home. Created in Alsatian style by an artist from Strasbourg residing in Germany.
The word "Mizrach" ("East") is the dominant feature at the center of the plaque. Above this are the (Hebrew) words "Mitzad zeh ruach chayyim" ("From this direction [comes] the spirit of life"). To the left of the word "Mizrach" is a dedicatory inscription in Hebrew and Yiddish-German bearing the name of the artist who created the plaque, and the name of the person who presumably commissioned it: "Created and written on Thursday, the 23rd of Menachem Av […] by the young man Jacob Haas, a teacher here in Niedenstein, native of Strasbourg. Mordechai Westheimer"; the rest of the dedication is inscribed inside a circle appearing beneath the word "Mizrach": "On order of […] son of Honored Rabbi Aharon Westheimer and his wife the Officer Mme. Rivkah, Niedenstein". The Mishnaic teaching "Return one day prior to your death" (Avot 2:10) appears in the middle of the upper margin, and in each of the four corners there are circles bearing various (Hebrew) inscriptions: "From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof the Lord’s name is to be praised…" (Psalms 113:3); "A man worries over the loss of his monies and worries not over the loss of his days" (old Jewish proverb, anonymous); "Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field" (Deuteronomy 28:3); and "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out" (Deuteronomy 28:6).
Interestingly, the words "Return one day prior to your death" do not often appear on items of Judaica in general, and especially not on "Mizrach" wall plaques. For this reason – and also on account of the prominence of the color black – it is quite possible that this particular "Mizrach" wall plaque was also meant to be what is known as a "memento mori" wall plaque, whose purpose is to serve as a constant reminder of the inevitable day of death. Only a handful of plaques of this nature bearing Hebrew inscriptions are known to exist.
The present wall plaque bears extraordinarily unusual illustrations, in terms of both their subject matter and the technique used to create them. In these regards, they are decidedly atypical of "Mizrach" wall plaques, and items of Judaica in general. They do, however, appear on two additional known Alsatian "Mizrach" plaques (see below). The layout of the plaque is symmetrical, and it bears illustrations of a (smoking) pipe, a feather quill pen, pince-nez eyeglasses, and three playing cards. In addition to these, an illustration of an envelope addressed to "the Officer, the Honored Rabbi Mordechai, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him" overlies the feather quill, stamped with a wax seal bearing the initials "MW" for Mordechai Westheimer. Features such as these are associated with a painting technique known in French as "trompe-l'œil" (lit. "to deceive the eye"), a technique which employs imagery familiar from daily life in such a manner as to create an optical illusion. In the example here, the optical illusion is achieved thanks to the fact that the entire sheet is colored in black, and all the illustrations and decorative framing are in effect produced by simply leaving parts of the sheet blank, in its original color. The remaining decorations, inscriptions, and shading, with other colors included, are then added in.
Presumably, the artist’s Alsatian origins and his exposure to French culture served as influences in his artistic style, particularly with regard to this specific work. For comparison, see a similar wall plaque produced in Haguenau in 1858: Les Juifs d'Alsace: Village, Tradition, Emancipation, by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1991, item no. 26 (French and Hebrew); and an additional plaque, presumably created in Metz (1799): the Jewish Museum, New York, item no. F4915 (Treasures of the Jewish Museum, 1986, pp. 120-121).
A small Jewish community resided in Niedenstein (near Kassel), Germany, beginning in the 17th century. The 120 Jews who reportedly lived there in 1834 represented roughly 20 percent of the small town’s overall population of 610.
24X21 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Minor tears and a number of small holes. Framed.
Exhibition: Jodendom: een boek vol verhalen. Amsterdam, De Nieuwe Kerk, 2011-2012.
Provenance:
1. Tajan Judaica, Paris, 7 April 1994, lot no. 44.
2. The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 056.011.037.
"Menorah" – Shiviti plaque with dedicatory inscription. Morocco, [perhaps Marrakesh / South Morocco, second half of 19th century].
Ink and paint on paper.
Large "Menorah" plaque (as such plaques were referred to in North Africa), decorated with vegetal and geometric arabesques in red and green hues. Near symmetric composition. Comprised of two sheets of paper pasted together – the upper sheet features the Menorah, while the lower one contains the dedication.
The upper part of the plaque contains a tall LaMenatze'ach Menorah, resting on the back of a large, stylized bird, also decorated in green and red; the menorah is surrounded by some Temple utensils (including a pan, patterned as a Moroccan gun-powder flask), two hamsas and the initials of Ana BeKoach. The border surrounding the leaf is decorated with a repetitive vegetal pattern of five-petaled flowers, reminiscent of hamsas.
The lower part of the plaque contains verses of blessing and protection for the home, initials and the text of the priestly blessing – occasionally also featured in Moroccan ketubot; a lengthy, detailed dedication occupies the center, with blessings "may G-d grant you favor in the eyes of kings and ministers…". The dedication is addressed to "Masoud Elkayam", yet this name appears to have been written in place of a different name which was erased.
This "Menorah" is reminiscent of a Moroccan Esther scroll in the Gross Family Collection (081.012.016), see item no. 69 in this catalogue (and see also item no. 7 in this catalogue).
52X44 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, creases and wear. Minor defects to text and ornaments. Open tear to upper right margin, not affecting the illustrations (restored with paper). Mounted on acid-free paper for preservation.
Reference:
1. Marrakesh VeChachameya, by Shlomo Miara. Elad, HaRav Zrihen Institute, 2015, p. 133 (Hebrew).
2. Kabbalah, edited by Klaus Davidowicz, Mirjam Knotter and Domagoj Akrap. Bielefeld, Kerber Verlag, 2018, p. 41.
3. Windows on Jewish Worlds, Essays in Honor of William Gross Collector of Judaica. Zutphen, Walburg Pers, 2019, p. 98 (illustrated).
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 058.011.066.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48461.
"Menorah" – Shiviti plaque. Morocco, [perhaps Tétouan or Marrakesh, ca. mid-19th century].
Ink and paint on paper.
"Menorah" plaque (as such plaques were referred to in North Africa) in a symmetric composition, set within a stylized, poly-lobed arch (typical of Moorish architectural style). Decorated in green and red hues, with motifs typical of similar pieces from Morocco. A LaMenatze'ach Menorah occupies the center of the leaf, with flowering branches rising from the center stem; the Menorah is surrounded by Temple utensils, two hamsas (containing the text of the priestly blessing), and two eight-pointed stars. Names of the utensils, names of angels, and initials of verses for protection (in neat square script) around the illustrations. The plaque is enclosed in a border of repetitive vegetal patterns.
The ornaments and palette of this "Menorah" are reminiscent of a decorated ketubah from Tétouan from 1852, see item no. 7 in this catalogue.
37.5X22 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and creases. Folding marks.
Exhibitions:
1. Living Khamsah. Schwäbisch Gmünd, 2004.
2. Institut du Monde Arabe. Paris, "Juifs d'Orient", 2021-2022.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 058.011.044.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48436.
Shiviti plaque decorated with micrography and figurative illustrations, produced by Chaim son of Elazar. [Iran], 1870.
Ink and paint on parchment.
Unusual Shiviti plaque, comprising verses from Daniel's vision, protective verses from Tehillim and figurative micrographic illustrations. The upper part of the plaque features the verse "Shiviti Hashem LeNegdi Tamid" with various variations of G-d's name, supported by two large angels (depicted as winged human figures). Beneath it are two smaller figures: Moses carrying the Tablets of the Law, with an angel facing him and the inscription "Chayot HaKodesh". A micrographic arch comprising verses from Daniel's vision separate the upper and lower part of the plaque, which contains two large figures – Moses holding the Tablets of the Law and a staff, and Aaron holding an incense pan, with a LaMenatze'ach Menorah between them. Two micrographic cypress trees comprising the words of Ana BeKoach flank the Menorah. Stylized micrographic medallions (some shaped as small flowers) containing the words of Psalm 121 form a border around the plaque. Additional verses from Tehillim, in particular verses of protection, inscribed in micrography and initials. Arist's signature in two medallions in lower margin: "Chaim son of Elazar, 1870".
Apart from some simple gilt vegetal and geometric motifs, and short gilt lines decorating the vestments of Moses and Aaron – the ornaments and illustrations in this plaque are entirely micrographic.
Approx. 27X19 cm. Overall good condition. Some stains.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. Light and Shadows: The Story of Iran and the Jews. Tel Aviv, Beit Hatfutsot, 2010, p. 170 (illustrated) (Hebrew).
2. Mystik – Die Sehnsucht nach dem Absoluten, by Albert Lutz. Zürich, Scheidegger & Spiess, 2011, p. 47.
3. Light and Shadows, edited by David Yeroushalmi. Los Angeles, Fowler Museum of UCLA, 2012, p. 158.
4. Kabbalah. Vienna, Jüdisches Museum Wien, and Amsterdam, the Joods Historisch Museum, 2018.
5. The Art of Jewish Mysticism, by Liya Chechik. Moscow, Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, 2022. p. 40.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 058.012.057.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 49447.
Temple site – Mizrach plaque on glass, created by Moshe ben Yitzchak Mizrahi (Shah). Jerusalem, [1910].
Oil paint and silver foil on glass.
The verse "If I forget thee, Jerusalem…" is inscribed at the top of the plaque, followed by a Star of David containing the word Zion. Additional verses around the Star of David and beneath it, with two crowned golden lions and a pair of tall columns flanking it, representing the minaret of the Tower of David in Jerusalem.
The Dome of the Rock is depicted in the center of the plaque, in a circular frame. The structure is flanked by flowering branches, and is captioned "Temple Site". Nine oval medallions surround it, depicting various holy sites and gravesites of Tzadikim in Eretz Israel: The Cave of the Patriarchs, the Tomb of Samuel, [the tomb of R. Meir Baal HaNes], [the tomb of Rashbi], [Elisha's tomb], Joseph's Tomb, the Tomb of Shimon HaTzadik, Rachel's Tomb and King David's Tomb. Four flowers decorate the four corners.
The right and left margins contain the text of the priestly blessing, while a dedication is inscribed in the lower margin: "In honor of Mashiach Djian / written by Moshe Mizrahi, 1910".
The recipient of the plaque was presumably Mashiach Borochoff Djian (1875-1946), a Bukharan merchant and communal worker in Jerusalem, founder and manager of the Sephardic orphanage, member of the first Assembly of Representatives (Mashiach Borochoff Alley and Mashiach Borochoff House on Jaffa St. in Jerusalem are named after him).
The artist Moshe ben Yitzhak Mizrahi (Shah) was born before 1870 in Tehran, and immigrated to Eretz Israel ca. 1890, where he changed his name to Mizrahi. He resided in Jerusalem and worked as a sofer. He supported himself by opening a shop for frames and mirrors in the Old City's perfume market. Mizrahi was known in Jerusalem as the "Menorah Painter" (painter of Shiviti plaques).
Approx. 71X54.5 cm; frame approx. 79.5X62 cm (not examined out of frame). Fair-good condition. Losses to paint and defects to silver foil; dampness damage.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. Arts and Crafts in 19th Century Eretz Israel, by Yona Fischer. Jerusalem, Israel Museum, 1979, pp. 118-124 (Hebrew).
2. Jerusalem, Spirit and Matter, by Nitza Berhoozi. Tel Aviv, Eretz Israel Museum, 1993, p. 31, no. 11 (Hebrew).
3. Masa bein Yerushalayim, Tehilim, and Agnon BaOmanuyot. Jerusalem, Ministry of Education, 2017, p. 15 (Hebrew).
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 056.007.002.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 42433.
Work of embroidery depicting the Western Wall encircled by the Leviathan swallowing (or biting) its own tail. Jerusalem, 1928.
Colorful silk-thread embroidery on silk-satin fabric.
A most unusual high-quality work of embroidery from Jerusalem. A depiction of the Western Wall appears in the middle, with a row of trees and a bird behind it, the Dome of the Rock to its left, and the Al-Aksa Mosque to its right. Underneath is the embroidered (Hebrew) label "Western Wall". The entire illustration is encircled and framed by an embroidered depiction (with a corresponding embroidered Hebrew label) of the mythical creature known as the Leviathan, shown here biting or swallowing its own tail. The Leviathan’s scales are embroidered in silk thread, in varying shades of gray and beige that create a sense of movement and animation. The fins and tail have patches of reddish-maroon that further enrich the visual effect. The embroidered Hebrew inscription "Jerusalem" appears at the top of the cloth, flanked by images of small, yellow-breasted songbirds in flight. The Hebrew date "Year 5688" (1927-28) is embroidered on either side near the bottom.
The Leviathan is mentioned several times in the Bible and in Rabbinic literature. Jewish sources describe it as the "king of the fish" and the ruler of the sea. The figure of the Leviathan is a Jewish symbol for the end of the days, following the teaching of the Talmud that in the time to come, the righteous will partake in a feast and dine on the flesh of the Leviathan, and G-d will erect a sukkah made of the Leviathan's skin (Bava Batra 75a). This is the source of the prayer said when leaving the sukkah for the last time each year: "…just as I have fulfilled [the commandment] and dwelled in this sukkah, so may I merit next year to dwell in the sukkah made of the skin of the Leviathan".
Historically, this messianic tradition has never been particularly well-established as a theme in Jewish art, but graphic depictions of it do occasionally appear in illustrated manuscripts. In addition, it is sometimes featured on items of Judaica, such as a Sabbath tablecloth embroidered in Jerusalem in 1875-76 by Hannah Rivkah Hermann; in this case, it is used to frame a depiction of Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs (see reference below).
It is worth noting that the motif of a snake or dragon eating its own tail is actually quite ancient and cross-cultural; it has been referred to as "Ouroboros", meaning, in Greek, "tail-devouring".
46X52.5 cm. Overall good condition. Minor damage to embroidery and fabric.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. Arts and Crafts in the Land of Israel in the Nineteenth Century, edited by Yona Fischer. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1979, (Hebrew), pp. 69-71, item no. 36.
2. Darkei Eretz. Ashdod, Monart Museum, 2006.
3. Jodendom: een boek vol verhalen, by Edward van Voolen. Amsterdam, Museumshop De Nieuwe Kerk, 2011, item no. 54.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 005.013.002.
This work is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 39233. A photograph of this item has also appeared in the Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions, edited by Rafael Patai and Haya Bar-Itzhak. New York, Armonk, 2013, p.460.
Work of folk art embroidery in the form of a wall plaque, combining the main elements of "Mizrach", "Shiviti", and "Yahrzeit" wall plaques, along with "musar" (ethical) passages. Krentz (prob. Krenitz = Krynica-Zdrój), Poland, 5686 [1926].
Colored cotton-thread embroidery on linen fabric.
Rectangular cloth sheet embroidered with a wide variety of texts, vegetal patterns, and images of animals, including a pair of songbirds, a two-headed eagle (or vulture), a pair of rampant lions supporting a seven-branched menorah, and a pair of roosters. Embroidered frame with recurrent geometric pattern.
Hebrew inscriptions typical of "Mizrach" and "Shiviti" wall plaques appear at the top of the sheet: "Know before Whom you stand…", "Mizrach" ["East"], "From this side [comes] the spirit of life", and the eponymous verse of "Shiviti" ["I have set…"]: "I have set the Lord always before me" (Psalms 16:8). In among these inscriptions we find the teaching (in Hebrew, with minor errors) from the Mishnaic "Pirkei Avot" ("Ethics of the Fathers"): "Be as bold as a leopard, as swift as a vulture, quick as a gazelle, and courageous as a lion" (Avot 5:20), divided up into three segments and interspersed among the other elements: The words "as swift as a vulture" are embroidered next to the two-headed eagle (or vulture); "Be as bold as a leopard and courageous as a lion" is inscribed next to the pair of lions; and "quick as a gazelle" appears adjacent to the rooster on the right.
In the middle of the sheet is a menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum, positioned on the rooftop of an architectonic structure with two colorful columns. Inscribed inside this structure are the (Hebrew) words of the old Jewish maxim: "One frets over one’s loss of fortune, and worries not over the loss of one’s days; the fortune will be of no assistance, nor shall the lost days ever return". Underneath this, the year and place when and where the sheet was embroidered are given: "Year 5686, Krentz" [1926, prob. Krenitz = Krynica-Zdrój, Poland].
To the right and left of the columns, an "in memoriam" inscription appears in Yiddish, marking the "yahrzeit" (death anniversary) dates of the parents of the embroiderer: "Yahrzeit of the father, Aharon Moshe, is the 10th day of Iyar"; and "Yahrzeit of the mother, Sorah, is the 15th day of Cheshvan".
The small Polish town of Krenitz (Krynica-Zdrój), located just north of the Slovakian border, was home to a Jewish community, most of whose members were murdered in the Holocaust. In 1921, the town’s 1,023 Jews accounted for roughly half of its total population.
61X44.5 cm. Good condition. Professionally restored and sewn onto a cotton fabric for exhibition and preservation.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. The 'Shiviti – Menorah', dissertation by Esther Juhasz. [Jerusalem], the Hebrew University, 2004, p. 291 (Hebrew).
2. Reise an kein Ende der Welt. Vienna, Jüdisches Museum Wien, 2001, pp. 60-61.
3. In the Light of the Menorah: Story of Symbol. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 2011.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 056.016.001.
This work of embroidery is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 39393.
Illuminated plaque with the Tenu Shirah piyyut for Purim. [Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan], 1864.
Ink and paint on paper.
Illuminated wall plaque, one of the earliest known illustrated leaves from Iranian Kurdistan. The plaque is replete with colorful foliate and geometric patterns; the ornamentation style and orange and green palette are typical of manuscripts produced in Western Iran, also characteristic of manuscripts produced in Iraq.
The text of the piyyut Tenu Shirah, customarily sung by Kurdish Jews on Purim before the Megillah reading, is inscribed in four frames designed as pointed arches (the piyyut forms an acrostic of the name of the author of the piyyut). Two Menorahs occupy the center of the plaque, each topped by the inscription "Shiviti Hashem LeNegdi Tamid": the upper menorah is a LaMenatze'ach Menorah (Psalm 67), while the lower one comprises the words of Ana BeKoach. The plaque is dated at the base of the lower Menorah, which is also flanked by a dedication.
For further information: The Jews of Kurdistan: Daily Life, Customs, Arts and Crafts. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1981, pp. 232-236; Sinai, issue 98, 1986, pp. 74-75.
43X35 cm. Overall good condition. Folding marks, creases and marks. Minor tears to folds, slightly affecting text and illustrations. Framed.
Reference and exhibitions:
1. Et-Mol, vol. 208. Jerusalem, Yad Ben Zvi, 2009 (illustrated on cover) (Hebrew).
2. Light and Shadows, The Story of Iran and the Jews. Tel Aviv, Beit HaTfutsot, 2010, p. 48 (illustrated) (Hebrew and English).
3. Leaving, Never to Return!, curated by Dana Avrish. Tel Aviv, Eretz Israel Museum, 2019, p. 139 (Hebrew).
4. Light and Shadows, edited by David Yeroushalmi. Los Angeles, Fowler Museum of UCLA, 2012, p. 57.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 039.011.019.
The plaque is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48988.