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Img. ID: 1551

© Center for Jewish Art, Photographer: Radovan, Zev, 11.2.1992

The picture represents a large winged figure of Ashmedai. His lower body is hen-like and his upper body is naked. He has black wings, which fill most of the picture. His right arm and leg are chained and he is holding a stick in his left hand. He has a green-orange turban and a little beard and he is wearing a belt around his waist. The figure is standing on the black and white floor of a building fronting King Solomon. Solomon is seen from his back sitting on a blue arm-chair. He wears a white robe with blue stripes. To his right on the floor are a few dishes. From the roof the city's houses can be seen. In the background the colours are green and yellow.

This text was prepared by Alec Mishory:

Hebrew poet laureate Ch. N. Bialik collected, arranged, and retold many Jewish folk tales in the modern period. One of them - King Solomon and Ashmedai - tells how the King caught Ashmedai, king of demons and brought him to his court in chains. Solomon was in the process of building the Temple in Jerusalem; he was advised that there is a magical worm – shamir. He then forces the demon to actually help him build the Temple by relinquishing the services of the shamir, a mystical worm who could split rocks easily without iron tools. Raban's illustration focuses on Ashmedai's meeting with Solomon. The demon, in chains, holds a staff, four cubits long, about to throw it on the ground, next to the king's feet. 

Name/Title
Ashmedai's Meeting with King Solomon, illustration for Ch. N. Bialik's King Solomon and Ashmedai | Unknown
Object
Object Detail
watercolor drawing
Settings
Unknown
Date
1920s
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Unknown |
Congregation
Unknown
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Period Detail
Collection
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Material / Technique
Watercolour
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
57 cm
Length
Width
43 cm
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
In lower right, Zeev Raban in block Hebrew letters. Pen. Lower left, Z Raban in English capital letters.
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Summary and Remarks
Remarks
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Bibliography
Raban Remembered - Jerusalem's Forgotten Master - Yeshiva University Museum, NY, 1982
Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Type
Original
Documenter
| N.S.D. 2.1992
Author of description
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Architectural Drawings
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Computer Reconstruction
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Section Head
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Language Editor
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Donor
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Negative/Photo. No.