Daniel Israel

With Mathaf Gallery, London

Private Collection, until 2025

The Jaffa Gate, one of the main historic entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem, was constructed in 1538 during the Ottoman period to provide access from the west. Named after the Port of Jaffa and known in Arabic as Bab el-Khalil, meaning “Gate of Friend,” its title refers to Abraham, “the beloved of God.” After completing his studies at the Vienna and Munich Academies of Fine Arts in 1885, Israel travelled extensively through the Balkans to Turkey, Palestine and Egypt, sketching scenes that would later inform his work. The Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem, stands as a compelling testament of his travels, capturing daily life in Jerusalem in a poignant genre scene.

The monumental limestone gate dominates the composition, its sunlit crenelation rising to the upper edge of the canvas, leaving only a narrow glimpse of faded blue sky visible above. Walls emerge from a foreground animated by fruit stalls and local figures engaged in everyday market activity. Their richly coloured robes in warm, earthy tones are punctuated by white and red turbans, introducing a subtle sense of visual unity across the scene. Two horses are being led toward the gate, heads scarcely visible against the shaded entrance as they carry goods out of the city. A pale section of the wall to the left of the horses acts as a visual anchor, guiding the eye toward the arched passage, while an opening in the upper left portion of the canvas reveals a barren field and winding path, offering a quiet contrast to the bustling life within the city walls.