SIMEON SOLOMON | CARRYING THE TORAH DURING THE SUKKOT HOLIDAY

Private collection, England

Raised in a prosperous family in London’s East End, Simeon Solomon was one of the earliest artists to closely observe and portray the rituals of Jewish life.

This stirring scene is one of a small number of highly finished drawings made by Solomon which depict the interior of a Synagogue. The drawing centers on a Rabbi carrying the Torah, his eyes fixed in intense concentration. He is flanked by two other congregants carrying a Lulav and Etrog signifying that the service is taking place during Sukkot. The figure on the right is likely the Chazzan whose prayerbook is marked with Solomon’s initials and the Hebrew date.

This is possibly the same young man portrayed in the magnificent oil, Carrying the Scrolls of the Law, sold Sotheby’s, New York, December 15, 2016, lot 95.