Wimpel (Torah binder), commemorating the birth of the child Meir son of Mordechai Gumpel. [Germany], Tammuz 1782.
Ink and paint on linen.
Composed of four linen sheets, nearly identical in size, sewn one to the other. At center appears the inscription: “Meir, son of… R. Mordechai Gumpel, was born… on Thursday, 15 Tammuz, may G-d… grant that he be raised to [a life of] Torah, marriage, and good deeds. Amen, Selah.”
Decorated throughout with a border composed of a recurring motif of intertwining branches, and featuring various illustrations, among them: an angel with the inscription “for He will command His angels on your behalf to guard you in all your ways”; a crab inside an ornate cartouche (Cancer zodiac sign); a double-headed eagle with the verse “Be light as an eagle” and the inscription “Keter Malchut”; a man lifting a Torah scroll with the inscription “it is a tree of life for those who grasp it”; a triple-arched canopy; and a lion accompanied by the inscriptions “be mighty as a lion” and “a lion has roared; who will not fear".
Height: 18.5 cm. Length: 346 cm. Overall good condition. Stains and creases. Backed with a later linen support panel.
