Mizrah Plaque, Ze'ev Woolf Weksman, [New York: ca. 1880]

Illustrated manuscript (29 1/2 x 23 1/2 in.; 750 x 596 mm). Written in black ink; illustrated ink and gouache. Set within a massive wood frame (37 1/2 x 31 in.; 954 x 788 mm). Glazed. (Not examined out of frame)

This monumental decorative plaque, known as a mizrah (east), was designed to be hung on the eastern wall of a synagogue to indicate the proper orientation for prayer. The tradition of facing the site of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during prayer has biblical origins beginning in the times of King Solomon and remains the custom of Jews around the world to the present day. This plaque was created by Ze'ev Woolf Weksman and is dedicated to the memory of his deceased parents, whose dates of death are recorded here. Weksmann was born in Suvalk, Poland in 1845 and emigrated to America in 1873. It is inscribed with traditional texts taken from both biblical and rabbinic sources and is decorated with artistic motifs common to synagogue decoration in the late nineteenth century.