Bidspirit auction | Brass Plate for Passover Made

Brass Plate for Passover Made by the Important Artist Heinrich Schwed (1880-1962). Munich ca. 1930 - Original and rare item by the artist Heinrich Schwed. Unlike other cities such as Augsburg, Frankfurt and Berlin, Munich was never a center of manufacturing Jewish ceremonial objects. Only few pieces of Judaica from Munich workshops are known of today . Only a few dozens of Schwed's works were identified in museums and coolections in Germany, Israel and the USA. Many of Schwed's works that were made in the 1920s and 1930s were not based on older models, as often happens with Judaica pieces. Their artistic design and technique are a product of Heinrich Schwed's personal art. Large plate with a round Matzah in its center surrounded by quotes from the Passover Haggadah - ”הא לחמא עניא”  and ”מה נשתנה הלילה הזה”, in a round medallion. The medallion is placed in the center of a four-point star with additional inscriptions: של פסח”, ”והקדוש ברוך הוא מצילנו מידם”, ”חד גדיא, חד גדיא”  and ”לשנה הבאה בירושלים”. Around the star, there are four cartouches: two of them featuring the figures of the Four Sons of the Haggadah. The third features Moshe surrounded with a verse from Shirat Hayam - אשירה ליה-וה כי-גאה גאה” – and at his feet, the inscription ”משה עבדו”. The fourth cartouche features the young David with a verse of Psalms alongside him - ”חֹנה מלאך יה-וה סביב ליראיו ויחלצם” – and at his feet, the inscription ”דוד. At the base of these two cartouches, additional quotes from the Piyyutim of the Hagaddah:  ”ויהיה בחצי הלילה”  and ”כי לו נאה, כי לו יאה”. The edge of the plate is decorated with plant and geometrical motifs.  The plate is signed by the artist: ”Chaim ben Mordechai Halevi”. Heinrich Schwed (1880-1962) was born in Reichmannsdorf, Germany. In 1924, he opened in Munich a shop for the trade of handcrafted items, alongside a craft workshop. Schwed continued producing decorative plates, advertising signs and other items until 1937, when his business was confiscated by the Nazis and he himself escaped Germany with his family and found refuge in Argentina. Diameter : 40 cm.  Provenance : Private Collection, Paris-France.