Auction 94 Part 2 Rare and Important Items
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Letter handwritten and personally signed by Sigmund Freud, addressed to Yehuda Dvir, the earliest translator of his works into Hebrew. London, December 11, 1938. German.
The present letter was written just a few months after Sigmund Freud and his family had departed Vienna to flee the Nazis. It is written on official stationery, indicating Freud’s new residential address in London, no. 20 Maresfield Gardens.
The letter is addressed to the educator and author Yehuda Dvir (Dvosis; 1896-1971), the first person to translate Freud’s works into Hebrew. At the beginning of the letter, Freud relates to the upcoming publication of the Hebrew edition of his book "Totem and Taboo": "…I received the printed copy, but regretfully I do not speak Hebrew… As to your question regarding the meaning of the mysterious statement which appears there, my response is that it represents a question: In what form did our common tradition as Jews come to be preserved in our psychic beings; a difficult question, and entirely theoretical."
Further on in the letter, Freud writes about his last great work, "Moses and Monotheism" – which he eventually published at the at the age of 82, during his time in exile in London in 1939 – in which he took issue with the fundamental assumptions of the Jewish faith, expressed his thoughts regarding the origins of anti-Semitism and Jewish tradition, and proposed a historical conception of Moses as a figure, who, in his view, should be regarded as the scion of an aristocratic Egyptian family. Freud writes as follows: "My next book, ‘Moses and Monotheism, ’ is scheduled to be published at the beginning of the year in English and German. I will obviously derive great satisfaction if it were also to be translated into Hebrew. This book represents a sequel to the subject addressed in ‘Totem and Taboo, ’ insofar as the same [concepts] are applied to the history of the Jewish faith. Nevertheless, I beg you to take into account that the content of this book is surely bound to offend Jewish sensibilities as long as they remain unwilling to accept the authority of science. In gratitude, my heartfelt greetings – Yours, Sigmund Freud" (based on the Hebrew translation of the German, from: "Sigmund Freud, Letters, " translation by Eran Rolnik, Moshav Ben Shemen: Modan, 2019).
[1] leaf, official stationery, 28.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. Creases and minor wear. Slight tears to edges.
Five-page letter, handwritten and personally signed, by Avshalom Feinberg; the first of a number of love letters sent by Avshalom Feinberg to Rivka Aaronsohn. [Hadera], March 1, 1911. Hebrew.
This letter was written over the course of an entire night, piece by piece, and it is five pages long. The beginning of each new part is marked by a small asterisk. Each part is written at a different time of night, and covers a separate topic.
The first part was written at 9:30 pm:
"You are sitting in the dining room, and under the quiet light of the lamp that brings out the gold in your hair, you are reading something. The two little snakes that squirm down your temple hang quietly and peacefully, your forehead is lowered, and your eyes absorb…".
In the second part, Avshalom describes his own state of being at the time of the writing:
"I. Night. In the room where you slept, you and your sister, the only time you were here. Here I am, more than alone…".
In the third part, Avshalom recalls experiencing something of a nighttime vision:
"Scenes flash before my eyes. I see before my eyes a theater filled to capacity… I already hear the prelude of violins, shhhhh, and there, in just a moment I’ll be seeing the faces of the singers."
The fourth part is the longest and most temperamental part of the letter:
"Behold in my left hand I am caressing my pistol, and had I so desired, within less than a minute I could put a bullet in my temple… and as Lada our female dog would have entered the room and [begun] whining over the blood… once I had begun to lose consciousness, at that very moment Tzila would be sitting in her room, diligently and calmy doing her homework. My friend Jacques would be praying in front of his cross, then lying down to sleep peacefully. Masha would be moving her fingers over the strings of her violin, playing continuously. You would keep reading your book, about some character in a novel."
The final part of the letter was written at 3:00 am:
"Forgive me, my dear Rivka, for all the evil in these pages. For all the ugliness and all the nonsense. It is for this [reason] that ‘wise’ people call me – mad…"
At the end of the letter, Avshalom sends his regards to Rivka’s sister, Sarah Aaronsohn (famous for her heroic role in the Nili underground movement): "When Sarah returns from Haifa, Yes! It wouldn’t hurt you to hug her just a bit more closely to your chest?" And signed: "Avshalom".
Also enclosed, a postal envelope addressed to "The young ladies Sarah and Rivka Aaronsohn, Zikhron Ya’akov"; and on the back, the return address: "A. Feinberg, Hadera".
[5] handwritten pages (two separate sheets, each folded in half). Approx. 22 cm. Good condition. Bluish paper. Minor stains and creases. Fold lines. Minor blemishes to edges and to lengths of fold lines.
Some 380 printed and handwritten items of ephemera; hundreds of publications distributed by Jewish undergrounds and dozens of items of ephemera from British detention camps. Palestine, Africa, and additional locations, 1940s. Hebrew and additional languages.
Unusually large collection including hundreds of broadsides, proclamations, notices, placards, flyers, wall posters, memos, brochures, and pamphlets circulated by the three largest Jewish undergrounds in Palestine – the Haganah, Irgun (Etzel), and Lehi organizations – in the context of the struggle against the British Mandatory authorities; most of the publications bear the emblem of the relevant organization.
· Some 200 items published by the Irgun (Etzel – Irgun Tzva’i Leumi, National Military Organization): Warning broadside issued by the Irgun just prior to the so-called "Night of the Beatings" (1946), whereupon the organization abducted and flogged several British soldiers in an act of vengeance in response to the corporal punishment of their own members at the hands of the British authorities; a notice issued by the "Tribunal of the National Military Organization" regarding the execution of Jewish informants and individuals whose acts were deemed treasonous by the Irgun (1947); call-up order "on the occasion of the admission of the regiments of the Irgun into the ranks of the ‘Jewish Army’ [=IDF]" (June 1948?); and numerous other items.
· Some 60 items published by the Lehi (Lohame Herut Yisrael, Fighters for the Freedom of Israel; a.k.a. "the Stern Gang"): A wide assortment of brochures and leaflets ("Yair, " "Message to Every Loyal Hebrew, " "Words of the Convicted in the Cairo Trial" [of Eliyahu Bet-Zuri and Eliyahu Hakim, executed for their part in the assassination of Lord Moyne], "Cornerstones of the Doctrine of Jewish Freedom"; in Hebrew); a paper printed by the Lehi outlining their political platform following the establishment of the State of Israel (July 1948); and numerous other items.
· Some 50 published items issued by the Haganah and the leadership of the Jewish "Yishuv" in Mandatory Palestine – An early (Hebrew) broadside bringing attention to the existence of "a faction of deranged hooligans who call themselves ‘the National Military Organization’" (1939); a series of warning notices bearing photos and identifying details regarding suspicious individuals; and numerous other items.
· Some 45 items of ephemera from the British detention camps of Latrun, Atlit, Gilgil (Kenya), Sembel (Eritrea), and other camps: letters, photographs, issues of newspapers compiled in the camps, and more.
· Some 25 additional items of ephemera, including hand-drawn British military maps along with a sketch outlining attacks conducted by the Etzel; ten documents representing indictments on charges of possession of underground proclamations and broadsides, as well as journalistic photographs and more.
Size and condition vary.
Some 450 pieces of ephemera dating from the period of Israel’s War of Independence. Palestine-Israel, 1947-1949 (some items from later years). Hebrew.
The Collection includes rare and exceptional items of special historical significance:
· Order disbanding the Palmach, November 6, 1948. The last order (no. 30/48) ever to be issued by the Palmach to its combatants, effectively calling for the disbanding of the organization. Signed in print (Hebrew): "Be strong!".
· Ceasefire agreement between the IDF and Etzel (Irgun Zva’i Le’umi, National Military Organization) in the wake of the Altalena Affair ("Arrangement Form"), June 22, 1948: Signed in the margin by Ya’akov Meridor, deputy commander of the Etzel and Dan Even, commander of the Alexandroni Brigade. Mimeographed copy of the original form (the original form has been lost, and only a handful of such mimeographed copies are known to exist).
· List identifying fallen interred in common graves on Mt. Herzl: fallen members of the Lamed-Heh platoon; and soldiers who fell in the battles for Latrun, the battle for Gush Etzion, and the battle for Giv’at HaRadar (Radar Hill). Seven mimeographed printed pages, with one handwritten correction.
· Two booklets, containing the hand-written diary of a Palmach combatant, written over the course of five years (1945-1950). The diary contains various eye witness reports on important events that took place in Palestine: the arrival of six Illegal immigrant ships ("Sefinot Ma'apilim"), the release of persons detained during the British Army's Operation Agatha ("Black Sabbath"), the Sergeants affair, the vote on the UN's partition plan for Palestine on 29 November 1947, and more.
In addition, the collection includes a significant number of important ephemera items:
· Some 130 information sheets issued by fighting units, and booklets for soldiers (“Kol Tzfat”, “Igeret La-Hayal”, "HaLochem”, “BaMivtza”, "Hed HaTikhon”, and others).
· Some 100 documents and forms issued during the course of the war (draft notices, draftees’ identity documents and pocket notebooks, certificates certifying rank, deployment notices, official order papers).
· Some 30 "Shanah Tova" greeting cards from combatants in the War of Independence, most with small pictures of the regiment or corps, or of IDF commanders (including "Shanah Tova" cards bearing emblems of the Israel Navy, the Palmach, "Mechanized Attack Regiment 79"; most sent by mail, indicating the name of the soldier, along with a brief greeting).
· Some 65 letters from soldiers (some with first-hand accounts of various battles).
· Various items, including photographs, diaries, brochures printed in various places, and more.
Size and condition vary.
Some 55 photographs of Palestine/Israel during Israel’s War of independence, 1947-49.
Including: The Flag of Israel shown flying over a watchtower in Jaffa; a young Jewish man pulling the safety pin from a hand grenade in the course of battles on the streets of Tel Aviv; the Israel Air Force’s first cadets; residents of Jerusalem taking shelter behind Montefiore’s Windmill; soldiers engaged in the "Shacharit" prayer behind sandbags in Kfar Etzion; commander of IDF forces in Qalqilya glancing at his watch, waiting to declare a ceasefire on his two-way radio (first suspension of hostilities?); and more.
These photographs were journalistic photos circulated around the world at the time of the war, and the inked stamps of the news agencies active in the country during this period appear on their backs, alongside handwritten instructions to printers and printed notes containing information regarding the relevant photograph (sometimes glued at the edges). One photo bears the certification mark of the Official Censor of the newly formed State of Israel.
A few of the photos bear the inked stamps of the photographers: Ephraim (Ephron) Ilani, Walter Zadek, and Lasar Dunner.
Some 55 photographs, approx. 20X25-17X13 cm. Condition varies, good to good-fair. Stains and blemishes. Several photographs with small holes or small tears (mostly to edges). On the backs of some of the photographs are more recent inked stamps and notations, many of the photos come with the corresponding news bulletin or newspaper clipping attached.
Five 500-Mil bills with consecutive numbers. Anglo-Palestine Bank, [1948]. Pick# 14a.
Five 500-Mil banknotes, numbered A504775-9. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the longest-running sequence of consecutive numbers for 500-Mil banknotes.
Condition: aUNC. Slight creases at centers of banknotes. The notes were neither straightened nor otherwise treated.
"Description de l'Égypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française" ["Description of Egypt, or the collection of observations and researches which were made in Egypt during the expedition of the French Army"]. Paris: C. L. F. Panckoucke, 1821-30. French and additional languages.
Second edition of the monumental work "Description de l'Égypte"; twenty-six volumes of text, along with three large-scale maps of Egypt and the Nile Region, and numerous printed plates with inscriptions, illustrations, diagrams, and more. Volumes of prints not included.
This edition was printed in one thousand copies by the publisher Charles-Louis-Fleury Panckoucke (1780-1844), specially commissioned by the French monarch Charles X. The printing of the second edition began before the completion of the first edition, and both editions were actually completed simultaneously. Once published, the multi-volume book would become the greatest printed work to date. The scope of the text was so voluminous that its authors never managed to complete an index, and thus no such index would ever appear.
The mission was launched on the personal initiative of Napoleon Bonaparte. The staff of the mission had accompanied Napoleon’s army in the course of the French Campaign to Egypt and the Holy Land (1798-1801); the delegation numbered over 150 individuals – researchers, scientists, surveyors, and cartographers – and included many of the towering figures of French academia. Their work opened a new chapter in the annals of the study of Egypt and the Near East.
It took almost twenty years to publish the findings of the mission. The volumes, printed one by one, comprehensively covered the ethnography, fauna, flora, and meteorology of Egypt and its environs, including the Holy Land. The jewel in the crown of the mission’s accomplishments was undoubtedly the discovery of the Rosetta Stone – the stele which provided the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics, thus unlocking a secret that remained unsolved for roughly two thousand years. An additional groundbreaking scholarly achievement was the mission’s successful application of modern surveying techniques to produce the first truly comprehensive mapping of Egypt. The book also included a detailed account of Egypt’s Jewish population; an entire chapter was devoted to Jewish music, including a description of the diacritic cantillation marks or accents (known in Hebrew as "ta’amei hamikra") using musical notes and Hebrew script.
Matching bindings, with leather spines; gilt leaf edges.
26 volumes (incl. all volumes of text, excluding eleven volumes of prints). 20 cm. Varying condition. Stains, creases, and blemishes. Leaf preceding title page of tenth volume missing. Two leaves from first volume appended to beginning of final volume. Several volumes with serious worming. Blemishes and wear to bindings.
A complete listing of the volumes in English will be delivered upon request.
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.