Portrait of Rabbi Moshe Sofer, author of Chatam Sofer. Lithograph by Josef Kriehuber, after a painting by Yissachar Ber Frank. Vienna, [ca. 1828].

"Portrait of the true Gaon, the famous Torah scholar R. Moshe Sofer Rabbi and yeshiva dean of the Pressburg community [Hebrew] / Moyses S. Schreiber Oberrabiner der Israe Gemeinde in Presburg".

The famous portrait of R. Moshe Sofer, author of Chatam Sofer, was made by his disciple
R. Yissachar Ber Frank (1778-1845), scribe and trustee of the Pressburg community. When Rabbi Yissachar Ber's daughter reached marriageable age, he approached the Chatam Sofer and requested that he suggest an outstanding disciple as a match for his daughter. The Chatam Sofer replied that he can suggest a very worthy match, the best student in the yeshiva, R. Menachem Katz of Prostitz, however, because he is a potentially leading Torah luminary, R. Yissachar Ber must undertake to support him for a number of years so he can study Torah without distraction.

R. Ber did not hesitate and immediately agreed to the shidduch, however, he was financially hard-pressed. Since he did not want to take charity, R. Ber searched for a source of livelihood to provide the necessary funds. He finally came up with an idea. Besides his outstanding Torah knowledge, R. Ber was also a gifted artist. He decided to print portraits of the Chatam Sofer, from his own painting, and sell them to finance the wedding and to support the couple after their marriage. This portrait is the one which R. Ber printed in Vienna.

Upon discovering this, the Chatam Sofer was aggravated and summoned R. Ber. He rebuked him for daring to draw his portrait and distribute it without his permission. R. Ber explained that he did this to cover the expenses of his daughter's marriage and that he could not find any other way to earn the money, saying: "I cannot show my face before people begging for a handout", to which the Chatam Sofer replied: "You did not want to show your face so you showed mine instead?".

Igrot Sofrim (p. 27) cites a letter by R. Akiva Eiger sent to his son-in-law the Chatam Sofer from the month of Tamuz 1828, with mention of this portrait: "I have received the letter from R. Ber with the portrait" (see: Igrot Sofrim, pp. 27-28, in the footnote; Biography and Novellae of Rabbi Menachem Katz Prostitz, Part 1, p. 9 [Hebrew]). Thanks to this printing, this well-known portrait of the Chatam Sofer has been preserved for all times.

19.5X25.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Dark dampstains. Minor defects. Mounted.