PAPERCUT AMULET FOR A NEWBORN CHILD, [EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE: CA. 1900] Ink on paper (9 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.; 250 x 215 mm). Light staining in the lower border. Glazed and framed in a gilt wood frame; not examined outside of the frame. Jewish birth amulets are designed to counter the harmful effects of evil spirits, in particular those of the demon Lilith, who is believed to seek out and injure newborn children and nursing mothers. The present lot, created to be hung in the birthing room or placed near the child’s bed, is an intricate, handmade papercut amulet decorated with elaborate scrolling foliage. The text at center is that of psalm 121, a prayer frequently inscribed on such documents as it is believed to provide protection. This is followed by the names of the matriarchs and patriarchs, paired as couples—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah—inviting them in and excluding the demon Lilith and her cohorts. The text of the central panel ends with the biblical verse “You shall not tolerate a sorceress” (Ex. 22:17), with the words themselves inscribed in various configurations—another method used to thwart the evil intentions of Lilith and to prevent her from entering the room to harm the newborn infant. Two birds hover above the central text and two protective lions are positioned below. Encircling the amulet are the verses of the priestly benediction (Num. 6:24-26) and Jacob’s blessing to Menasseh and Ephraim: “The angel who has redeemed me from all harm—bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth” (Gen. 48:16). According to Yehudit Shadur, preeminent scholar of the art of Jewish papercuts, most of the surviving birth amulets of this type were created in the region of the Carpathian Mountains and southern Galicia. LiteratureJoseph and Yehudit Shadur, Traditional Jewish Papercuts: An Inner World of Art and Symbol (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2002), 61-69.
PAPERCUT AMULET FOR A NEWBORN CHILD, [EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE: CA. 1900] Ink on paper (9 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.; 250 x 215 mm). Light staining in the lower border. Glazed and framed in a gilt wood frame; not examined outside of the frame. Jewish birth amulets are designed to counter the harmful effects of evil spirits, in particular those of the demon Lilith, who is believed to seek out and injure newborn children and nursing mothers. The present lot, created to be hung in the birthing room or placed near the child’s bed, is an intricate, handmade papercut amulet decorated with elaborate scrolling foliage. The text at center is that of psalm 121, a prayer frequently inscribed on such documents as it is believed to provide protection. This is followed by the names of the matriarchs and patriarchs, paired as couples—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah—inviting them in and excluding the demon Lilith and her cohorts. The text of the central panel ends with the biblical verse “You shall not tolerate a sorceress” (Ex. 22:17), with the words themselves inscribed in various configurations—another method used to thwart the evil intentions of Lilith and to prevent her from entering the room to harm the newborn infant. Two birds hover above the central text and two protective lions are positioned below. Encircling the amulet are the verses of the priestly benediction (Num. 6:24-26) and Jacob’s blessing to Menasseh and Ephraim: “The angel who has redeemed me from all harm—bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth” (Gen. 48:16). According to Yehudit Shadur, preeminent scholar of the art of Jewish papercuts, most of the surviving birth amulets of this type were created in the region of the Carpathian Mountains and southern Galicia. LiteratureJoseph and Yehudit Shadur, Traditional Jewish Papercuts: An Inner World of Art and Symbol (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2002), 61-69.
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