Carved wooden plate made by S. [Semen] Wintoniuk, Bilcze Złote (Eastern Galicia, Poland; today Ukraine). [Late 19th century or early 20th century].
Carved bread plate; central relief of a sheaf of wheat surrounded by a sickle, a flail and a plow. The brief version of Birkat HaMazon (five words in Aramaic) and a Star of David are carved around the edges.
The underside of the plate is signed "S. Wintoniuk, Bilcze". The artist is recorded in a 1925 list of emigrants leaving the Bremen port in Germany to the USA with his full name, Semen Wintoniuk from Bilcze Złote, stating his occupation as 'carpenter'.
The folk wood-carvings created in Galicia both by Jewish and non-Jewish sculptors are renowned for their beauty. The carved wooden holy arks in Poland and Ukraine are unique in their size and their lavish ornamentation. Numerous other sacred and mundane objects, ranging from prayer podiums and Torah pointers to houseware, were all artfully carved in wood.
Diameter: 27.5 cm. Good condition. Minor scratches. Few stains. Damage to paint on underside. Suspension loop attached to underside.