A Rare Early Micrographic Shiviti [Eretz Israel?] 1855

Ink and gouache on parchment, matted and framed in elaborate wood-gilt frame

(10 x 7 in.; 255 x 180 mm)

Esther Juhasz ,“The Shiviti Menorah, A Representation of the Sacred - Between Spirit and Matter” Ph.D. Dissertation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2004 p. 425.

This delicate decorative plaque, known as a Shiviti, derives its name from the first word of the biblical verse “I have set the Lord before me always” (Psalms 16:8) which is prominently inscribed in the medallion at the top of the document. During the nineteenth century it became a common practice to hang these decorative plaques in synagogues and private homes to serve as a visual and textual reminder of the constant presence of God. The artist of this elegant shiviti has fashioned the decorative images employing the scribal art of micrography and imaginatively penned minute Hebrew words to form the central image of the menorah flanked by two cypress trees and topped by a magen david and two hands bearing mystical inscriptions. The shiviti is dedicated at bottom to “my beloved friend Nissan, the son of Israel Rofeh in the year 5615 (=1855). A closely related shiviti is in the private collection of William Gross, Israel.

Literature:

Esther Juhasz ,“The Shiviti Menorah, A Representation of the Sacred - Between Spirit and Matter” Ph.D. Dissertation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2004 p. 425.