Obj. ID: 48927
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Papercut, Germany, 1855

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

One of the most elaborately decorative papercuts of its kind, this creation is a fine example of the combination of spiraling vegetal motifs with the appearance of many sorts of animals as well.  This papercut served as a companion piece with another papercut, by the same maker, an "Uzhpezin" plaque created specifically for the Sukkah for the holiday of succot.  The present example contains the prayer for "Eruv Tavshilin", which would have been needed when the holiday fell on the day before the Sabbath, to allow the preparation of food for both days in spite of the normal prohibition against cooking on such days. There are recorded something over five hundred examples of Jewish papercuts, many of which only exist in photographs. The number of creations that exist in pairs by the same artist for joint use is surely very small if they exist at all. Papercuts were most often folk creations, fashioned from very inexpensive paper. Since these papercuts were often hung on walls, and exposed to light, the colors faded and the paper became extremely brittle, leading to their deterioration and discard.