Graven Images: Graphic Motifs of the Jewish Grave Stone
- ISBN-10
- 0810933772
- ISBN-13
- 9780810933774
- Series
- Graven Images
- Category
- Architecture / General
- Pages
- 144
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1993
- Publisher
- H.N. Abrams
- Author
- Arnold Schwartzman
Description
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth". So decrees the second commandment. Could anything be clearer? And yet, through the centuries, Jews have decorated their tombstones with graven images. This rich tradition of liberally interpreting the biblical admonition has provided centuries' worth of graphic symbols and motifs that illuminate Jewish history and lore. In Graven Images, a surprisingly spirited view of a usually somber subject, author and photographer Arnold Schwartzman has assembled a lavish array of color photographs of Jewish tombstones. Focusing on the treasures he has discovered in thirty-eight European cemeteries, this book reproduces more than two hundred graven images from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Romania. Schwartzman's beautiful close-up photographs and fascinating captions reveal the significance of some of the most common images found on the gravestones. Some reveal the occupation of the deceased (an inkwell and quill for a scribe) or something about character (a candelabrum for a pious woman). Others allude specifically to a person's name (a fish for a member of the Fischel family) or refer to biblical tradition (Noah's ark, Adam and Eve in the Garden). The book begins with a riveting essay by Chaim Potok, the renowned novelist and Jewish thinker, who asks: "How in the light of all these images are we to understand the second commandment?" A unique assemblage of what Schwartzman has called "hallowed milestones that plot the course of the Jewish diaspora", GravenImages will appeal to everyone interested in Jewish history, symbols, and tradition.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Pamphlet Architecture 20: Seven Partly Underground Rooms and Buildings for Water, Ice, and Midgets
By Mary-Ann RayRay reveals these quixotic spaces through constructed drawings, collaged photographs, and insightful text.
-
Douglas Johnson: Southwest Traditions and Modern Icons
By Paul Strand, Megan Fox, Gerald P. PetersDouglas Johnson: Southwest Traditions and Modern Icons
-
Morphosis, the Crawford House
By Frederic Migayrou, Aris Janigian, Michele SaeeThis is the first volume to showcase the Crawford House; it is emblematic of the dynamic interplay between art, architecture, and representation that characterizes Morphosis' work. -- from back cover.
-
Ruins Reused: Changing Attitudes to Ruins Since the Late Eighteenth Century
By Michael Welman ThompsonLooks at the development of an active relationship between the public and ruins as to how they can be preserved and used.
-
The Spaces of Organisation and the Organisation of Space: Power, Identity and Materiality at Work
By Karen Dale, Gibson BurrellThis book examines the role and utilization of workplace 'space': how it is organized; how it can reflect organisational values; how it can affect employee identities; and the many ways in which the physical environment can influence and ...
-
Simplified Design of Steel Structures
By James AmbroseThe seventh edition of Simplified Design of Steel Structures is an excellent reference for architects and engineers who need information about the common uses of steel for the structures of buildings.
-
Landscape Architecture: An Illustrated History in Timelines, Site Plans and Biography
By William A. Mann... previous experience in park design was gained through working under John Nash on the Regent's Park ( 1811 - c . 1828 ) . ... the La Follette legislation regulating grazing , preservation of the Appalachian watersheds , the Palisades ...
-
Warwickshire
By Nikolaus Pevsner, Alexandra WedgwoodWarwickshire
-
Frank Stella, 1970-1987
By Frank Stella, William Rubin... we owe thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Anderson ; Ed Cauduro ; Douglas S. Cramer and the Douglas S. Cramer ... and Kate Keller , the Museum's Chief Fine Arts Photographer For the organization of the exhibition itself ( as well as ...
-
Designing the Exterior Wall: An Architectural Guide to the Vertical Envelope
By Linda BrockThe bond Colorado. of the concrete to the thin brick is dependent on a mechanical key provided by dovetailed slots in the thin brick as well as the balance between the initial rate of absorption of the brick and the cement-to-water ...