Auction 94 Part 2 Rare and Important Items
Year-round Italian rite machzor, Part II. Venice: Bragadin Press, 1772.
Paper; wood and fabric; silver, cast, repoussé, sawed and engraved (marked with the monogram "MR" (?) enclosed in an oval-shaped frame).
Silver ornaments with vegetal patterns appear on both the front and back binding and on the spine, nailed to the wooden boards of the binding. A fabric cover, originally velvet in texture but now thoroughly worn, is wrapped around the binding, which is held closed with two decorative buckles. On both the front and back binding, in the middle, are cartouches surmounted by crowns with convex medallions in the center, bearing a two-part dedicatory (Hebrew) inscription: "R. Yosef David HaLevi" on the front, and "Stella Usiglio Leviah" on the back. Apparently, the prayer book was given as a gift to one of the two members of the couple on the occasion of their upcoming marriage.
In all likelihood, the name "Usiglio" pertains to a well-known family of merchants in 18th century Modena. This family, among other things, possessed a synagogue within the city; the Levi family was also an important family of merchants in Modena during that same period. Toward the end of the book, there are handwritten notations documenting the birth of a daughter in year 1842, and a son in 1846.
322 leaves, 16 cm. Binding in fair-good condition. Fabric worn and faded, minor fractures to silver ornaments and several pieces missing. Prayer book in good condition, with few stains. Endsheets from later period (19th century?).
Torah case with matching pair of finials. [India; possibly made in China], dedication dated 5647 [1887].
Wood covered in a coat of sheet silver, repoussé, stamped, and engraved; silver, cast, turned, and engraved; brass sheet and copper nails. Without Torah scroll.
Large, ornate Torah case, covered in a coat of repoussé sheet silver, adorned with rich, dense, vegetal patterns, with long, twisting tendrils. Capped with a large dome, decorated with patterns complementing those on the body, and with a pair of large, winding branches forming the outline of inverted heart shapes. The finials surmounting the dome are positioned on either side of it and are anchored just beneath the apices of the inverted heart shapes. The dome is surmounted by a pear-shaped ornament, with bells dangling from chains suspended from its base. The upper rim of the body is surmounted by a circular tiara-shaped ornament ("atarah") with a recurrent vegetal pattern. The base forming the bottom of the case is coated with a layer of brass sheet fastened to the wood with copper nails. The finials are pear-shaped, and adorned with patterns complementing those on the body and dome. At the bases of the graceful, conical, bud-shaped apices of the finials are thick grooved discs, and from these, dangling chains with bells at their ends are suspended.
On the surfaces of the two flat, opposing walls of the interior of the opened dome are silver plaques engraved with lengthy dedicatory Hebrew inscriptions. Inscribed on the right plaque are verses related to the subject of the Torah: "And this is the teaching which Moses set before the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 4:44), among others. The left plaque bears a lengthy inscription, dedicated by a widow to the memory of her departed daughter: "…this case and the Torah scroll contained within were dedicated by Simcha wife of the late R. Yaakov Shlomo Kashani, for the soul of her daughter Leah wife of R. Mordehai Yehezkel Natan, who passed away on Shabbat 24th Iyar 1846… Dedicated in 1847".
Although this particular case is reminiscent in its shape of Torah scroll cases from Iraq and the Near East, its decorative elements, the shape of its finials, and the style of its dedicatory inscription are actually far more typical of those of similar items from the Far East, specifically, India, China, and Burma. It thus represents a fine example of a sacred object belonging to Iraqi Jews residing in the Far East (for comparison, see two Torah scroll cases from Calcutta, India, in the collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Item Nos. B94.0540, B94.0656).
Height of case: 95 cm. Diameter 26 cm. height of finials 23.5 cm. Overall good condition. Segments trimmed from shafts of finials to enable easy insertion into dome of case.
An almost identical pair of Torah scroll cases, each with a matching pair of finials; both with dedicatory inscriptions for Eliyahu Moshe Dweck HaKohen – rabbi of the "Magen David" Congregation of Calcutta – and his wife. Calcutta (today Kolkata), India, dedicatory inscriptions dated 5687-5688 [1927-1928].
Wood, covered in a coat of sheet silver, repoussé, stamped, and engraved (each of the two cases marked on the bottom with the mark of the silversmith "Goopee Nath Dutt & Co., Bhowanipore, Calcutta"); silver, cast, turned and engraved; velvet cloth fabric. Without Torah scrolls.
Two almost identical Torah scroll cases (one slightly taller than the other), with matching ornamentation and decorative elements, each surmounted by a pair of finials. Exteriors covered with a coat of repoussé sheet silver adorned with recurrent vegetal patterns, arranged within ornate medallions. Each case capped with domes surmounted by pear-shaped ornaments, with bells dangling from chains suspended from their upper disks. Upper rims of bodies surmounted by circular tiara-shaped ornaments ("atarot") with a recurrent vegetal pattern. Both domes equipped with a pair of finials with matching vegetal decorative patterns. The finials are all pear-shaped, and capped by low-rising domes, in turn surmounted by conical ornaments at the apices. Interiors of cases coated in dark-blue velvet. The bases forming the bottoms of the cases, like the rest of the bodies, are covered in silver.
The interiors of each of the two cases feature two silver plaques engraved with lengthy dedicatory Hebrew inscriptions, on the flat surfaces of the opposing walls of each dome. Inscribed on the right plaque are verses related to the subject of the Torah: "And this is the teaching which Moses set before the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 4:44); "These are the statutes, the ordinances, and the laws that the Lord gave between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses" (Leviticus 26:46). The left plaque of each of the case bears personal inscriptions in memory of a couple, Eliyahu Moshe Dweck and his wife Gracia Dweck HaKohen. The plaque of the shorter case is dedicated to the husband, Eliyahu: "This case and the Torah scroll contained within were dedicated for the soul of R. Eliyahu Moshe Dweck HaKohen who passed away on Shabbat 12th Shevat 1927…"; the plaque of the taller case is dedicated to his wife, Gracia: "This case and the Torah scroll contained within were dedicated for the soul of Gracia wife of R. Eliyahu Moshe Dweck HaKohen, who passed away on Friday 25th Tammuz 1928…".
Rabbi Eliyahu Moshe Dweck Hakohen was the scion of a renowned rabbinic family from Aram Tzova (Haleb or Aleppo, Syria) who presided over Calcutta’s "Magen David" congregation for over 50 years. Among other things, he served as editor of "Perach, " a magazine that was the mouthpiece for the Calcuttan Jewish community originating from Baghdad. In 1881, he set up his own Hebrew printing house in Calcutta. Eliyahu Dweck was the son of rabbi Moshe ben Shim’on, one of the founders of the Iraqi-Syrian Jewish community in Calcutta in the 19th century (see a parokhet with a plaque bearing a memorial inscription dedicated to Moshe Shim’on Dweck Hakohen: Sotheby’s, New York, Steinhardt Collection, April 29, 2013, Item no. 337).
Height of shorter Torah case: 83.5 cm (finials: 17 cm); Height of taller Torah case: 86 cm (finials: 21 cm); diameter of both cases: 26 cm. Overall good condition. Minor tears to velvet cloth.
Hanging Lamp for the Sabbath and holidays. [The Netherlands, 18th Century].
Cast pewter (unmarked).
Hanging lamp of a type characteristically used by Sephardi Jews of Spanish or Portuguese origin in the Netherlands (as well as by Sephardi Jews in England). Its origins can be traced to West Friesland (a region situated in the north of the Netherlands).
This item bears the characteristic structure of a lamp of this type. It has five parts, not including the missing original suspension hook: a multi-edged, fan-shaped crown, an upright support (baluster) which also functions as a reflector, an oil pan in the shape of a seven-point star, a small drip pan, and a bud-shaped weight.
Three 18th-century versions of this type of Shabbat lamp are known to exist, made of brass, silver, and pewter. All three versions are relatively rare, but the brass version is the least uncommon, with dozens of documented examples. The silver versions are rarer; only some 19 lamps are known to exist, not all of them intact. Surprisingly, the ostensibly inexpensive pewter versions are the rarest of all; thanks to the relative fragility and breakability of the material, very few copies have survived, and of these, in effect only a handful are entirely intact. Four pewter hanging Shabbat lamps are kept in the Jewish Museum, Amsterdam, but only one of them is intact, one is kept in the collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (117/39), two others are part of a private collection in Zurich, Switzerland, and one other copy was auctioned at Christie’s, Amsterdam, May 27, 1997, lot no. 456.
Height: Approx. 80 cm. Overall good condition.
Carl Werner, preparatory sketch for painting of Western Wall. [1860s or 1870s].
Pencil on paper; unsigned and undated.
Preparatory sketch for a well-known watercolor painting by the German painter Carl Werner, depicting Jews at prayer at the Western Wall. Shown in the foreground are women at prayer, and next to them, men in assorted costumes.
Carl Werner created two versions of this watercolor. The first was made in 1863, immediately after his return from a journey to the Holy Land. In the second, from 1879, two figures were added – a woman and child. The present sketch is identical to the first version in all aspects other than the fact that the figure of the woman from the second version appears in the bottom right corner – though only in the form of an outline superimposed over details depicted earlier.
Both versions of Werner’s watercolor are considered among the most renowned of his works, and both have been offered for public auction in recent years (see Christie’s, London, July 2008, lot no. 74; Sotheby’s, London, October 2021, lot no. 18).
Carl Werner, German watercolor artist and architect, native of Weimar. Conducted lengthy journeys, documented in his paintings, to southern Europe and the Levant. Visited the Holy Land and Egypt for the first time in 1862; the realistic watercolors he created in the course of this mission and shortly thereafter were rich in detail and were critically acclaimed. Published a volume of reproductions of his paintings titled "Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Holy Places" (London, 1885). The success of this publication attracted numerous commissions for new paintings, and it was in this context that Werner created the later version of his painting of the Western Wall.
Approx. 54.5X40 cm. Good condition. Sketch has undergone professional restoration. Matted, mounted onto thick plate. Incl. matte frame (68X53.5 cm). Segment missing from lower corner, professionally and artfully restored. Few stains. Minute holes and small tears. Edges of sketch unevenly cropped.
"The Western Wall", etching by Ephraim Moses Lilien. [1908].
Signed in pencil; signed in the plate.
Large, splendid etching by Ephraim Moses Lilien, presenting Jews at prayer at the Western Wall. The wall appears engraved with names and inscriptions. In the foreground of the etching is the figure of an elderly Yemenite Jew, facing the Western Wall. The artist twice signed his name, once in the plate, in the lower left corner, in Latin script, and once again in Hebrew, as an inscription on one of the stones of the Western Wall.
Printed underneath the etching is an additional, small illustration by Lilien, showing the biblical character Cain plowing in the field; a somewhat different rendering of this illustration was printed in 1908 as part of a series of illustrations for the Book of Genesis.
Hand-signed by Lilien in the margin, in the lower right.
35X51 cm. Frame: 71.5X87 cm. Good condition. Several light stains.
Some 150 sketches, illustrations, prints, and various other works by Bezalel student Pinchas Mikhael Lachowitzky. [Jerusalem], first decades of the 20th century.
Archive of the painter and architect Pinchas Lachowitzky, one of the first students at the original Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, who specialized in decorative and printing arts and calligraphy; a rare example of the work of Bezalel’s earliest students; apparently, part of the archive was assembled in the course of Lachowitzky’s studies at the school, in the years 1912-15.
Included in the archive:
· Five large, colorful illustrations (approx. 50X70 cm) in a style typical of Bezalel’s artists and teachers: “Tevye the Milkman on his way to Katrielivka”, “Elijah Rising to Heaven”, “Spring has arrived, the time of the pruning [or singing] is come", "Under the Fig Tree", "The Night of January 1st in Russia".
· Seven original drawings (charcoal and pencil): David and Goliath, portrait of a Jew in traditional costume, portrait of a Jewish woman, and more.
· 16 sketches for an educational game for teaching the Hebrew alphabet: calligraphic letters with small illustrations; the name of the game appears on one of the sketches: "Gorala Eiver, ‘Pinchas’ Artistic-Educational Publications."
· Some 120 sketches for various graphic works: a fancy sketch for an emblem for the Jewish National Library (pre-State forerunner of the National Library of Israel); sketch for a sign for Jerusalem’s Zion Cinema; sketch for an emblem for the Order of the Knights of Pyt[h]ias in Jerusalem; a series of silhouettes, designs for plaster casts; designs for stationery for the Czech and Egyptian postal services; sketches for business cards; and more. Some of the sketches bear familiar portraits, including those of Maimonides, Mendele Mocher Sforim, Chief Rabbi Zvi Perez Chajes (Hayut) of Vienna, and others.
· Nine architectural and design drafts: architectural plans for the "Agricultural Orphanage Established by Rabbi Avraham Yonatan Blumenthal in the Moshava Motza near Jerusalem" (the agricultural branch of the Zion Blumental Orphanage of Motza/Jerusalem); a sketch for a "septic sewage tank of Mr. Mordechai Braud", design plans for furniture, and more.
Many of the items in the collection are signed with either Lachowitzky’s personal signature or his inked stamp. Some of the items are marked with the inked stamp of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts.
Pinchas Lachowitzky (1893-1965), painter, designer, and architect, native of Pinsk (today in Belarus). Immigrated to Ottoman Palestine in 1912, and was trained at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, Jerusalem. Volunteered to join the Zion Mule Corps of the British army during World War I, and served with them until the end of the war; fought in Gallipoli, and was decorated for his service. Employed by the Municipality of Jerusalem as a draftsman and surveyor, and designed Modernist-style buildings in the city. Functioned as a prominent member – and eventually the first president – of the Esperanto-Ligo en Israelo (Israeli Esperanto League). Died in Jerusalem.
Some 150 paper items. Size and condition Vary.
Enclosed: · Esther (Etty) Lachowitzky, Our parents, embraced by the Times: The story of Zlote-Zehava and Pinchas-Mikhael Lachowitzky, Tel Aviv, A.R. Printing, 2017. Hebrew. · Some 20 newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and various other items of ephemera.
Hand-painted papercut for Sukkot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger, meant to be used as a sukkah decoration. [Safed], 1910.
This papercut bears depictions of an eagle, lion, deer, and tiger, separated by twisting branches bearing leaves and flowers. The illustrations are in reference to a famous Mishnaic passage from the "Ethics of the Fathers" (Pirkei Avot 5:20): "Judah son of Teima would say: Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven. The words of the Mishnaic passage are inscribed on two medallions and on flowers and paper slips held in the mouths of the relevant animals. Inscribed on the back, in Hebrew (with abbreviations), are the words "Made in year 5670 [= 1910 CE] […] / Sivan 5670."
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 fit a wide range of purposes. They were used as "Mizrah" and "Shiviti" plaques; "Yahrzeit" plaques; "Shir HaMa’alot" plaques, believed to give protection to childbearing mothers and newborns; "roizalakh" (rose-shaped ornaments) to decorate the household during the Shavu’ot holiday; "Ushpizin" plaques for the holiday of Sukkot; and other forms of items.
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 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.
Benjamin also relates that Yosef Zvi was a pioneering lover and champion of the renewed Hebrew language, and in his efforts to promote the language he would put up signs with words in Hebrew on the walls of all the study rooms and yeshivas throughout the town, so that children would get to know these words. He personally taught the language to his children and grandchildren, ensuring they would become expertly fluent.
Approx. 23.5X24 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Minute tears. Pinholes to margins.