Mizrah

This wall plaque was intended to indicate the direction of prayer, mizrah (lit. east). It was executed in a folk style, yet is filled with imagery drawn from court life. Crowning the composition are two rampant lions supporting a coat of arms. They are flanked by grenadiers dressed in uniforms dating to the early eighteenth century, before headgear with brass plates became popular. Below are a pair of frolicking angels framing a palace facade in a style popular in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The dates of the architectural comparisons and grenadiers' uniforms suggest a moment early in the century for the mizrah.
The word mizrah is inscribed in the style of lettering used for word panels in Hebrew manuscripts. Below is the biblical phrase "From this side, the breath of life" (Gen. 6:17), for which the word mizrah is a mnemonic device.