Bronze-bound bible, decorated with reliefs, product of Pal-Bell. Israel [early 1950s]. Front board decorated with relief of Moses holding up the Tablets of the Law; on back board, relief depicting ritual scribe writing on parchment, and on spine, relief depicting a reproving prophet. Binding latched with clasp bearing relief featuring map of the Land of Israel, with the (Hebrew) inscription "State of Israel." Clasp marked (in Hebrew) "Pal-Bell, Product of Israel." This bible was presented as a bar-mitzvah gift. The name of the bar-mitzvah boy is engraved (Hebrew) on the back board: "Yaakov Cohen, 22.V.54." Dedication on first page, also dated "22.V.54." Bible published by Sinai Publishers, Tel Aviv, [early 1950s]. Includes illustrations by Gustave Dore. 17.5 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition.

Twelve rugs made at the Alliance School weaving workshop. [Jerusalem, 1900s to 1910s.] Depicting portraits of Theodor Herzl (two rugs), Lord Arthur James Balfour (two rugs), Max Nordau (three rugs, including one double rug made of two identical rugs sewn together) High Commissioner Herbert Samuel, Haim Weizmann, a uniformed soldier (who might be Djemal Pasha – WWI-era Governor of Greater Syria, or Hussein Bey al-Husayni – Ottoman mayor of Jerusalem), and Chaim Nachman Bialik. The Bialik rug is unique in depicting a literary figure rather than a political one. Although not recorded by Felton or other authorities, its style indicates it was made by the Alliance workshop, whose output was highly influenced by its parent organization's French affiliation. Size and condition vary. Reference: Jewish Carpets, Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, pp. 71-80. Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.

Pictorial rug with Joseph Stalin's portrait, [USSR, 1930s]; converted into a Herzl-like portrait with a black beard painted on by an unknown hand at a later date. The rug originally depicted Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin; rugs with his portrait were commonplace in 1930s Soviet Union. A black beard was later painted on in order to convert the portrait into a Herzl lookalike. The rug was purchased in Israel. In his book "Jewish Carpets, " Anton Felton recounts how he bought this rug "from an overbearing dealer who assured [him] it had always depicted Herzl" (p. 135). The Stalin-to-Herzl conversion may have been done simply in order to increase the rug's value after having been brought from the USSR to Israel, but it may have also been carried out still in the USSR by its original owners, who did not wish to display Stalin's portrait any more. Either way, the rug's transformation reflects the process of disillusionment experienced by Soviet Jewry from the bright hope of Communism, particularly in view of the failure of the Birobidzhan project – Stalin's plan to found an autonomous Jewish oblast in the Russian Far East. As such, the conversion of Stalin into Herzl is symbolic of the reversion of many Soviet Jews to Herzl's Zionist vision. Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation. 82x67.5cm. Good-fair condition. Some fading. Damage to pile at painted area. Damage and stains to fringes. Literature: 1. Anton Felton, Jewish Carpets. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, no. 63. 2. Genosse. Jude: Wir wollten nur das Paradies auf Erden [Comrade. Jew.: We Wanted Only a Paradise on Earth], exhibition catalogue. Jewish Museum, Vienna, 2017, p. 47 (illustrated). Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.

Bezalel rug depicting Abraham's Tamarisk, Mount Sinai and Herzl's Cypress. Jerusalem, [ca. 1906 to 1914]. Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation. The carpet depicts a triple arch arcade. In each opening there is a symbol representing one of the forefathers of the Jewish nation and its leaders: Abraham's Tamarisk on the right, Mount Sinai in the center and Herzl's Cedar (presented here, as in many other cases, as a cypress) on the left. A decorated frame surrounds the arcade; the Hebrew inscription "Bezalel Jerusalem" appears on its lower part. In this carpet, the Bezalel designers position Herzl – both physically and metaphorically – in line with Abraham, the nation's forefather, and Moses, its biblical leader. Like Abraham's Tamarisk and Mount Sinai, which symbolizes Moses, the cedar planted by Herzl is depicted on the background of the desert. The border is inscribed "Bezalel Jerusalem." 99x64cm. Good condition. Fringe trimmed. Strap sewn to reverse upper edge. Reference: Jewish Carpets, by Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., 1997, p. 100. Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.

Small pictorial rug depicting the Bezalel School building. Bezalel, Jerusalem, [1908 to 1914]. Silk knot-pile; silk foundation. Central panel depicting the Bezalel School building, with the wall inscribed: "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (Exodus 31:3). Two panels on both sides depict a candelabrum each. Wide border, with repeating monograms of the word ‘Zion.' Approx. 58x27cm. Fair condition. Stains. Dark colors. Fraying to edges. Loss to pile. Reference: Jewish Carpets, by Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., 1997, p. 105. Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.