Montefiore Mizrach

British

Jewish Museum

circa 1860s

A mizrach is a traditional Jewish wall tablet or plaque showing the direction of Jerusalem for prayer. This tablet's iconography incorporates traditional Jewish elements - a menorah and the tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed in Hebrew - with elements from the Montefiore coat-of-arms. It was produced especially for Sir Moses Montefiore, one of the most prominent figures in British-Jewish history. Montefiore was a City financier and banker who went on to devote himself to philanthropy and alleviating the distress of Jews all over the world. Despite his importance, the museum has not been able to represent him adequately in the collection until now. This mizrach will be installed on the eastern wall of the museum's central staircase, a key architectural feature at the core of the new museum.

• Medium: scagliola tablet (imitation marble or pietra dura made from a fine plaster of powdered selenite mixed with glue and coloured)
• Dimensions: 119 x 89 x 4cm
• Art Fund Grant: £10000 ( Total: £20,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2010
• Vendor: Marlborough Rare Books

Provenance

Christie's, 2010; Marlborough Rare Books.

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