Pair of Sukkah Papercuts – Eruv Tavshilin and Ushpizin – Europe, Mid-19th Century

Pair of Sukkah Papercuts – Eruv Tavshilin and Ushpizin – Europe, Mid-19th Century

Two papercuts for hanging in the Sukkah, produced by Yitzchak Baruch son of Yechiel Michel. [Germany or Poland], Sunday Parashat Ekev 1855.
Papercut; ink on paper; colored paper.
Rare exemplar of a pair of papercuts for hanging in the sukkah (other such exemplars are not known), designed, cut and scribed by the same artist.

1. Papercut with handwritten text of Eruv Tavshilin (for a Yom Tov followed by Shabbat). Rectangular papercut, comprised of delicate vegetal patterns incorporating many animals: pairs of various types of birds, lions, dear, foxes (?) and unicorns. Arabesque ornament in each corner. Backed with colored paper (black, red and gold).
The Eruv Tavshilin blessing is scribed under the upper border; a central panel contains the Eruv Tavshilin text in Aramaic. The artist signed his name above the lower border "…Yitzchak Baruch son of R. Yechiel Michel: produced and completed on Sunday Parashat Ekev 1855". Although this papercut contains no direct reference to the festival of Sukkot, due to its similarity to the Ushpizin papercut (below), it appears that it was also intended as a Sukkah decoration. Additionally, during Sukkot 1855, the second day of Yom Tov fell on Erev Shabbat.

2. Papercut with handwritten order of Ushpizin.
Square papercut topped with an architectural arch. Comprised of delicate vegetal patterns incorporating many animals (similar to no. 1, above): pairs of various types of birds, lions, dear, griffins, and more. Arabesque ornaments at the base of the upper arch. Backed with colored paper (black, red and gold).
Text recited upon entering the Sukkah scribed in a goblet-shaped panel at the top of the papercut. The text of the order of Ushpizin occupies the center of the papercut, beginning in a central, gate-shaped panel and continuing in eight rectangular panels placed on both sides of the central panel. Although the date and name of the artist who produced this papercut are not stated, its similarity to the above papercut (no. 1) leaves no doubt as to the fact that they form an organic pair.
Due to their ephemeral character and exposure to the elements, Sukkah decorations did not survive in large quantities. Especially rare are Sukkah decorations in form of papercuts, and they form a subgenre both in the category of Jewish papercuts and in the category of Sukkah plaques (which were usually either printed or hand-illustrated). This pair of papercuts may have originally belonged to a larger set. See also items no. 42 (papercut), an nos. 38-39 (Sukkah plaques) in the present catalogue.

No.1: 32X25 cm; no. 2: 39X34.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and dampness damage, affecting text. Papercut no. 2 lacking several paper parts, semi-professionally restored. Some of the colored paper backing the papercut may have been replaced over the years.

Reference and exhibitions:
1. Siddur Klal Israel, edited by Yohanan Fried and Yoel Rappel. Tel Aviv, Mesora Laam, 1991, p, 274 (Hebrew).
2. Ma BaMigzeret. Organization of Paper Cutters in Israel, Issue no. 5, March 2015 (illustrated on the cover).
3. Jewish Tradition in Papercuts, by Naomi Shapira. Kfar Haoranim, Matan, 2018, pp. 42-43 (Hebrew, English, and Russian).
4. Jewish papercuts, by Joseph and Yehudit Shadur. Jerusalem, Gefen, 1994, pp. 62-63, items no. 97-98.
5. Jüdische Lebenswelten / Berliner Festspiele, eidted by Andreas Nachama. Frankfurt am Main, Jüdischer Verlag, 1991-1992, nos. 3/62 and 3/63 (Illustrated).
6. Tradition!: Celebration and Ritual in Jewish Life, edited by Vicki Weber. [New York], Behrman House, 2000.
7. Traditional Jewish papercuts: an Inner World of Art and Symbol, by Joseph and Yehudit Shadur. Hanover, University Press of New England, [2002], p. 82.
8. Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
9. Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses, by Murray Zimiles. Waltham, Mass., Brandeis University Press / New York, American Folk Art Museum, [2007], pp. 76-77.
10. Futur antérieur: l'avant-garde et le livre yiddish, by Nathalie Hazan-Brunet et al. Paris, Skira Flammarion, 2009, p. 76.
11. Jodendom: een boek vol verhalen, by Edward van Voolen. Amsterdam, Museumshop De Nieuwe Kerk, 2011, item no. 83.
12. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts, edited by M. Epstein. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2015, p. 200, figure 236 (the Ushpizin papercut; illustrated).
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 036.011.006, 036.011.007.
The papercuts are documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item nos. 48927, and 48928.