The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1921-04-20
Art Is Found On The
Seder Table
UNIQUE SPECIMENS OF RARE
DESIGN SHOWN IN TABLE
WARE.
By DIR. ISRAEL ABRAHAMs.

| on the passover eve; 1t may be poor,
but it cannot be mean. Beauty is in-
herent in the Seder service, and tho
the charm may be homely, its home
illness is necessarily graceful. But it
is nevertheless strange and resrettable
that we no longer add to the spiritual
charm of the Seder an artistic beauty
also. The fact is strange and regret
table. Strange, because the tendency
of modern fashion is to improve and
elaborate the table appointments used
at everyday meals. Regrettable, be-
cause we can never develop a Jewish
decorative art unless there is regen
Grated a wide demand for objects of
beauty, designed for such occasions Of
domestic religion as the Scder night.
OF old, Jewish taste was seen at its
hest on the Passover eve. Not only
was this taste shown iii the making
Of artistic things, but also i'll their
selection. There have come down TO
| us many beautiful relics which We're
not made by Jews, but the selection
and treasuring Of these beautiful
tIlHSS w JSwS SVlIutclul wv
dence that our medieval brethren often
had true artistic feeling. And n good
many of the objects were actually tho
work of Jewish hands.
In the first centuries, Jews followed
the Graeco- Roman fashion of freemen,
reclining on couches at their more i'm
portant meals Hence the use in mere
recent times of cushions for, ut least,
the master of the house." on the
Passover evc-thc festival of freedom.
IN the Benguiat collection. now i'll the
National Museum, Washington, there
are two such cushions, made in Sauna
cor (Bulgaria) In the sixteenth CEN
fury. The material, as described by
Drs. C. Adler and ]. NJ. Casanowicz. is
green silk, which is richly cmbroidcr-
ed in gold. 1t may he pointed ont that
| in the designs of these objects there
| is nothing specifically Paschal 1t
| often happened that beautiful things
We're reserved and appropriated for
| certain specific occasions. and only
thus became closely associated with
| those occasions
More popular were the Scdcr dishes.
OF these many fine examples nre eN-
tant in public and private collections.
They were made everywhere, and of
I'LL materials-glnss. china, mnjolica,
silver, gold and pewter. The Hamburg
Museum possesses one of Persian style
fdate. 177G). Round the outer mar
gin is inscribed the rhymed summary
of the Seder service; On the inside
margin are. in Hebrew, the words:
HE who relates much concerning the
EXODUS is praiseworthy." One pictur-
ed by DIR. Frlubergcr is probably
Dutch. 1t is made of pewter. richly
inlaid with silver chasings and bOr-
dcrs. Here. again, we flint the rhymed
summary, but much more. The -four
sons" of the Sedcr are pictured. and
on the margin are Il series of grotes-
ques partly derived from the Chad
Gadya." Another contains the Kid
tlush and the rhymcd summary with
vignettes. Yet another fine specimen
containing the same Inscriptions ms
last described and also four vigncttcs
of scenes in the Setler service) is pre-
served at Washington. 1t was made
by Jews of Spain in the thirteenth cen
fury, and glazed in Italy in the six
teenth century"
Some of the artistic ornaments of
the Scder-table have still to be noted.
Dishes and bowls for holding the bit
ter herbs are fairly common. One in
the Benguiat collection is of chased
hrass-work century. Another (Frau-
berger) is a splendid howl with four
feet. deliberately chased One exhibit
made of Jerusalem (black Moabitc)
stone. This stone" as we are re-
minded in ]. Jacobs and j.. Wolts
Catalogue of the Anglo-Jcwish ENluln-
ton. lis black during the day, grey
at night. and changes to blue with rel
spots during summer" A rarcr OBJ
: jcct is the "Charosetli' whecl-bnrrow,
with tOnges, a form which seems re-
stricted to Italy. Enamellcd saucers
with silver spoons. are oftcncr found.
Antique china cups for the saltwater.
small silver stands for the roasted
eggs. are, naturally. not infrcqucnt.
Quite uncommon is n special glass and
plate for counting off the ten plaques
) from the wine cup The specimen in
; the Washington Museum is extremely
beautiful and might be copied with adj
vantage.
attains its best in the wine cups. In
the Bcnguiat collection are Il set OF
twelve wine glasses to lie used by the