Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest)
Moritz Daniel Oppenheim1880
The Jewish Museum, New York
New York, United States
Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and falls exactly seven weeks after the second day of Passover. In biblical times, it was a harvest festival, so it is customary to decorate the synagogue with garlands of flowers, fruit, and plants.
Here, the rabbi, Torah, and Torah ark occupy center stage. Oppenheim adds spice to the solemn gathering of male worshipers with his depiction of a dizzying collection of hats, including an exotic turban. Ever the realist, he contrasts the behavior of two boys-one raises his hand in prayer while the other plays with flowers.
- Title: Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest)
- Creator: Moritz Daniel Oppenheim
- Date Created: 1880
- Location: Germany, Europe
- Physical Dimensions: 27 15/16 × 23 7/8 in. (71 × 60.7 cm)
- Provenance: the artist's family (after 1866; sold to Hermann Cramer); Hermann Cramer, Frankfurt, Germany (until d. 1919); his wife, Hedwig Cramer, Frankfurt, Germany (1919-d. 1934); her son, Sally H. Cramer, Hamburg, Germany, later London, England (1934-d. 1952); his son, Robert Cramer (1952); [sale, ?London, England, about 1952]?.Oscar Gruss, New York, NY (until 1999)
- Type: Paintings
- Rights: https://thejewishmuseum.org/about-this-site#terms-conditions
- External Link: View this object at thejewishmuseum.org
- Medium: Oil on canvas
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