Gouache and ink on parchment (17 ½ x 13 in.; 445 x 330 mm). Minor tears; small loss to left text border, shaving a single letter; natural lacunae at lower left corner. Matted.
The name Shiviti is based on Psalm 16:8 - "I have set the Lord before me always," which reminds man of God's omnipresence and urges him to remember God and his commandments in every action, and, in so doing, to avoid sin. This applies particularly in prayer, when one's mind should be completely turned to God, and one’s thoughts focused on the Tetragrammaton, the ineffable four-letter Name of God, the central feature of the plaque. Artistically, the most striking examples of these plaques were often made by Jewish folk artists, using the demanding and exacting technique of excising small bits of paper or parchment from a large sheet, leaving an elaborate image that adds an entire new dimensionality to the artwork being created. When wielded by a skilled craftsman, the papercutter’s knife produced the most elegant and striking
mizrah plaques of all.
This type of Judaica cutwork achieved its greatest popularity in the 18th and, particularly, 19th centuries. In this exemplar, the folk-artist’s imagination adorns the work with motifs from Jewish tradition and folklore. From the rich tangles of tendrils and flowers emerge figures of birds and animals, popular in Jewish iconography. Below is a depiction of the menorah, among the oldest recognizable icons of the Jewish faith, upon which are superimposed the seven verses of psalm 67. According to kabbalistic tradition, contemplation of this juxtaposition of the menorah and the biblical text serves to put the worshipper into the proper frame of mind for prayer. The texts surrounding the menorah include the mystical forty-two-letter name of God derived from the initial letters of the liturgical hymn Anna be-Koakh, as well as several biblical verses favored by kabbalists.
