A Papercut Mizrah, Segeberg, Germany: 1892

A Mizrah (Hebrew for "east") is a decorative plaque placed on the eastern wall of a home or synagogue to orient the direction of one's prayer toward the city of Jerusalem.  This intricately designed papercut was created by Abraham ben Avigdor in 1892.  In a circular medallion at the lower right hand side, Abraham signs his name and states that he came from the town of Segeberg, a small community near Hamburg.

The artist has inscribed the central hexagon with the Hebrew word mizrah and surrounded it with a panoply of farm animals including roosters, sheep, ducks, rabbits, horses and cows.  The outer border is composed of twenty-four medallions depicting the symbols of the twelve Israelite tribes and each of the twelve months as well as their Hebrew names.