- 91
Solomon Alexander Hart, R.A.
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description
- Solomon Alexander Hart, R.A.
- The Temple of the Jews at Shilo: Hannah Presenting the Infant Samuel to the High Priest Eli
- signed and dated 1878 (lower left)
- oil on canvas
- 50 by 65 in.
- 127 by 165.1 cm
- Painted in London in 1878.
Provenance
Sale: Sotheby's New York, March 16, 1999, lot 238
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Exhibited
London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1878, no. 482, titled 'The dedication of the infant Samuel by his mother Hannah; the high priest Eli receives him' (I Samuel I:24)
Catalogue Note
Solomon Alexander Hart was born in Plymouth, England in 1806 to a silversmith. After moving to London in 1820, he apprenticed as an engraver before beginning classes at the Royal Academy in 1823. In 1826, he exhibited a miniature of his father at the Royal Academy; he showed his first oil in 1828 and in 1830 unveiled the monumental Interior of a Polish Synagogue at the Moment when the Manuscript of the Law is Elevated, now in the collection of the Tate Gallery, London (ref. no. N00424). In 1840, Hart became the first Jewish member elected to the Academy, where he subsequently taught until 1863.
The present monumental painting depicts a scene from I Samuel I, 24, when the young prophet Samuel is dedicated to the temple by his mother Hannah. In the background, the rolling hills of Israel are visible, while the Temple Menorah is beautifully rendered at left. The High Priest’s headdress is inscribed with the Hebrew words Kadesh l’Hashem (Holy to God).
In addition to his biblical subjects, several paintings by Hart refer specifically to the position of the Jews in England, such as The Conference of Menasseh ben Israel and Oliver Cromwell. Similar nationalistic sentiments pervade Hart’s literary themes; he illustrated scenes from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, each of which feature main characters who are Jewish. Hart’s success with his depictions of Jewish life and Biblical stories paved the way for Jewish artists for many decades to come. Many of his works celebrating Jewish culture predate those of Isidor Kaufmann by almost half a century and his paintings are far less known than those of his contemporary Moritz Daniel Oppenheim.
The present monumental painting depicts a scene from I Samuel I, 24, when the young prophet Samuel is dedicated to the temple by his mother Hannah. In the background, the rolling hills of Israel are visible, while the Temple Menorah is beautifully rendered at left. The High Priest’s headdress is inscribed with the Hebrew words Kadesh l’Hashem (Holy to God).
In addition to his biblical subjects, several paintings by Hart refer specifically to the position of the Jews in England, such as The Conference of Menasseh ben Israel and Oliver Cromwell. Similar nationalistic sentiments pervade Hart’s literary themes; he illustrated scenes from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, each of which feature main characters who are Jewish. Hart’s success with his depictions of Jewish life and Biblical stories paved the way for Jewish artists for many decades to come. Many of his works celebrating Jewish culture predate those of Isidor Kaufmann by almost half a century and his paintings are far less known than those of his contemporary Moritz Daniel Oppenheim.