Two drawings by Shmuel Ben-David (1884-1927).
1. A Woman's portrait, ink on paper. Signed "S.D." (Shmuel Davidov).
Approx. 31.5X24.5 cm. Good condition. Minor stains.
2. Jerusalem, ink on paper. Not signed. A pencil sketch on verso (bird).
13X29 cm. Matted. Good condition. Minor stains.
Shmuel Ben-David was born in 1884 in Sofia, Bulgaria as Shmuel Davidov. He was accepted to the Art Academy in Sofia, where in 1903-1905 he studied under Professor Boris Shatz and specialized in carpet weaving and designing carpet patterns. At the end of December 1905, Ben-David arrived in Palestine together with Boris Shatz and studied in the highest grade in the first class of Bezalel. From 1907, he organized Bezalel's Department of Carpets, taught there and later also taught perspective, sketching and crafts. Ben-David was one of the founders of the Hebrew Artists Association and served as its chairman. He died in Jerusalem in 1927 at the young age of 42. Ben-David was one of the senior teachers at Bezalel. Having taught Nachum Gutman, Haim Gliksberg, Moshe Castel, Avigdor Stematsky and many others, he was a significant contributor to the Bezalel design language.