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A Hand-Drawn Illustrated Ketubbah Border Design by Ze'ev Raban, Jerusalem: ca. 1950
Estimate
12,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description
- paper, cardboard
Ink and Gouache on Paper (22 x 18 in. 560 x 460 mm) measured in frame. Individual paper collage elements painted in ink and gouache on paper, assembled, and mounted on cardboard. Large blank central area reserved for text. Lightly soiled; stained at margins; workshop stamp at lower left. Green metal frame.
Catalogue Note
a rare original design maquette by ze'ev raban
Ze’ev Raban (1890–1970) was a highly acclaimed artist whose prolific output is most closely identified with the Bezalel School. Renowned for his artistic creations in silver, wood, brass, and bronze, Raban also enjoyed great success as a book illustrator and commercial graphic artist. His many commissions included designs for ceremonial objects of Judaica for both communal and personal use. This illustrated ketubbah border is one of only two marriage contracts known to have been created by Raban and features design elements typical of his work. Dominating the frame are two palm trees, symbols of the Land of Israel, while peacocks and stylized floral designs convey the richness and fertility of the land and by extension, of the married couple. The bottom section depicts a pair of winged lions, also found in numerous Raban works. Here they serve as "guardians" of the central medallion which portrays Adam and Eve in Paradise, another familiar Raban motif, particularly apt for a marriage contract. Complementing the colorful designs are several marriage related biblical verses. The work is stamped at bottom left "Ze'ev Raban Industrial Art Studio."
Ze’ev Raban (1890–1970) was a highly acclaimed artist whose prolific output is most closely identified with the Bezalel School. Renowned for his artistic creations in silver, wood, brass, and bronze, Raban also enjoyed great success as a book illustrator and commercial graphic artist. His many commissions included designs for ceremonial objects of Judaica for both communal and personal use. This illustrated ketubbah border is one of only two marriage contracts known to have been created by Raban and features design elements typical of his work. Dominating the frame are two palm trees, symbols of the Land of Israel, while peacocks and stylized floral designs convey the richness and fertility of the land and by extension, of the married couple. The bottom section depicts a pair of winged lions, also found in numerous Raban works. Here they serve as "guardians" of the central medallion which portrays Adam and Eve in Paradise, another familiar Raban motif, particularly apt for a marriage contract. Complementing the colorful designs are several marriage related biblical verses. The work is stamped at bottom left "Ze'ev Raban Industrial Art Studio."
This work was exhibited at the Yeshiva University Museum in New York as part of the 1982 exhibit, “Raban Remembered: Jerusalem's Forgotten Master.”
LITERATURE:
Batsheva Goldman Ida, Ze'ev Raban: A Hebrew Symbolist, Tel Aviv: The Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 2001.; Nitza Behroozi Bar Oz, ed. A Local Wedding: Ketubbot from Eretz Israel, 1800-1960, Tel Aviv: Eretz Israel Museum, 2005.