Bidspirit auction | Issachar Ber Ryback

Issachar Ber Ryback - The dream ship. 17 × 11 cm Pencil drawing on paper. Framed. These works originated from the home of Sonia Ryback, as many of them were sent as Christmas greetings, as indicated by the inscriptions. Others were created as Rosh Hashanah greetings that Ryback drew and dedicated personally. Issachar Ber Ryback was among the most important figures of the Jewish avant-garde of the early twentieth century. His work combines imagination, folklore, Jewish memory, and a distinctive modernist visual language. Alongside depictions of the Jewish shtetl and scenes of everyday life, Ryback also created dreamlike and fantastical compositions in which reality merges with the realms of legend and imagination. In this delicate and enchanting work, a large sailing ship is depicted crossing an imaginary sea. With its dark sails and almost architectural structure, the vessel appears to drift between water and sky. Above it hovers a small angelic figure, while stars sparkle in the upper part of the composition, lending the drawing a sense of mythical journey, hope, and the discovery of new worlds. The drawing is characterized by a precise and sensitive line, combined with the poetic quality that distinguishes Ryback's more intimate works. The ship may be interpreted as a symbol of voyage, migration, memory, or dream—themes that accompanied many of the artist's contemporaries during an era marked by upheaval and displacement. At the lower part of the drawing appears a handwritten dedication in French: ”Joyeux Noël et Heureuse Nouvelle Année” (”Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”) Beneath it appears the inscription: ”M-me et M. Vos Sayer” (”Mrs. and Mr. Vos Sayer”). This personal dedication adds another human dimension to the work and suggests that it may have been given as a gift or seasonal greeting to family members or close acquaintances. Additional handwritten markings appear on the reverse of the frame, including: ”R-57”, as well as the Hebrew inscription ”Bar Ochav” (as it appears in the handwriting), alongside the number 396 and another notation, 69/10. A rare and intimate work that combines Ryback's imaginative world with a personal story and historical documentation, beautifully demonstrating his ability to transform a small drawing into an entire universe of dream, memory, and voyage.