Shmuel Ben-David (1884-1927), souvenir of his wedding to Judith Kipper on March 8, 1907. Jerusalem, 1907. Watercolor on paper. Signed "SD" and " СД" and dated March 1907. A dove with wings spread, carrying a ring in its beak, on the background of a starry and clouded sky, occupies the top of the page. The dove stands on top of an Art Nouveau column; the Bulgarian text on both sides of the column, written in ornate Cyrillic letters, documents the wedding of Ben-David (then Davidov) and Judith Kipper. The wedding took place in the building of Bezalel school of arts (then located on Chabashim st.) and was attended by Boris Schatz. Shmuel Ben David (originally Shmuel Davidov) was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1884. He studied at the Art Academy in Sofia, under Professor Boris Schatz, and later immigrated with Schatz to Palestine and studied in the first class of Bezalel. From 1907, he was involved in establishing Bezalel's carpetry department, where he subsequently taught, and in the following years he also taught perspective, drawing, and decorative arts. Ben David was one of the founding members of the Jewish Artists Association and served as its first chairman. Died in Jerusalem in 1927 at the age of 42. Shmuel Ben David was one of Bezalel's senior instructors, mentoring numerous accomplished artists – including Nahum Gutman, Chaim Gliksberg, Moshe Castel, Avigdor Stematsky, and many others – and was among the most prominent contributors in molding the Bezalel design language. Approx. 29.5X14 cm, matted and framed; 38X22 cm with frame. Minor stains.