A MAGNIFICENT PAPERCUT MIZRAH, [MORAVIA]: MARCH-APRIL 1829

Ink and gouache on paper (10 1/8 x 14 3/8 in.; 257 x 365 mm). Enlarged incipits; architectural frame enclosing first word of blessing; four roundels inscribed mi-tsad zeh ruah hayyim; the word mizrah highlighted in red letters at the base; finely-cut latticework background containing multicolor images of flora, fauna, humans, and putti. Staining and small tears in outer edges; slight wear to portions of the latticework (e.g., top right). Mounted, glazed, and framed.

This colorful decorative plaque, known as a mizrah (lit., east), was designed to be hung on the eastern wall to indicate the proper orientation for prayer. Profusely decorated with images of Adam and Eve, as well as pairs of lions, deer, and putti, this mizrah also contains the texts of the blessing over wine to be recited on the festivals and of the blessing recited when eating in a sukkah (booth) on Sukkot. The inclusion of the holiday benediction is perhaps an indication that this plaque was created to adorn the walls of a sukkah. The talented artist Tevel Prager from Pohrlitz (present-day Pohořelice), Moravia, signed his name at the very top of the plaque, and a dedicatory inscription at the base states that it was presented as a gift to the leader of the local Jewish community, Moses Oplat.