Lot 318: Shmuel Ben David (Betzalel) 1884-1927. original sketch for certificate of appreciation for Emperor Karl Franz Joseph and his wife

An impressive and historical original colored sketch. Water colors and sketch. gold and silver coloring. Many elements of Art Nouveau including Jewish symbolism of lamps and lions stars of David Pomegranates and peacocks 30*40 cm Translation of what is written to the Emperor and his wife: " Your majesty, In honor of Emperor Karl the first and Empress Zita and the King Karl the fourth Emperor of of the Bohemian Empire. Dedicated with subjugation and respect from the jewish communities of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Moravia A gift from Jerusalem This historical item is one of the rarer pieces of Betzalel and Israel art and history to come to auction in recent times, Shabat Menachem Davidov (later Shmuel Ben David) studied under Boris Schatz at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. In 1906, he immigrated to Palestine and enrolled at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts established by Schatz in Jerusalem. Ben David was the first Bezalel student to become a teacher there. He taught in the Tapestry Department and devoted much of his artistic endeavor to research and design of Hebrew typography; his preoccupation with the Hebrew alphabet brought forth an extensive lexicon of ornamentation. In 1912, the artist traveled to Paris and continued his art studies at the Academie Julian and left a collection of sketch books. In 1920 Ben David was one of the founders of the Agudat Omanim Ivrit (Association of Hebrew Artists). He organized the Association’s first exhibition and was its first chairman. Around 1923 Ben David produced a unique copy of an illuminated Scroll of Esther, made of parchment. Ben David died in Jerusalem in 1927 and was buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery