Eastern Wall Marker for Synagogue
Artist
Unknown
Datelate 19th–early 20th century
MediumBrass
Dimensions31 5/8 x 23 in. (80.3 x 58.4 cm)
ClassificationsMetal
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, Judaic Art Fund and Museum Purchase Fund
Object numberG.80.3.4
On View
On viewIn Jewish tradition one should pray facing Jerusalem, which in the United States is east. In homes and synagogues, eastern walls were often denoted by a decorative plaque. In this marker made for a synagogue, the principal symbols combine to praise God and the holy city:
Crown of Torah: God’s sovereignty and teachings
Lions of Judah: the Jewish people
Two columns: pillars that formed the entrance to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem
Masonry: the Western Wall in Jerusalem
["The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]ProvenanceCreated Central or Eastern Europe, possibly Danzig (Gdańsk) or Pressburg (Bratislava), late 19th–early 20th century. [Moriah Artcraft, Inc., New York]; sold to NCMA, 1980.
Published ReferencesAbram Kanof, A Guide to the Judaic Art Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1996), cat. no. 10, pp. 15, 26-27, illus. (b-w) 26.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement
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