Diorama of Sukkot Holiday Meal – Three-Dimensional "Paper Theater" Following an Engraving by Picart – Augsburg ...

Diorama of Sukkot Holiday Meal – Three-Dimensional "Paper Theater" Following an Engraving by Picart – Augsburg, 18th Century

A diorama, or paper theater, depicting the Sukkot festival meal; composed of six hand-colored engravings, following Bernard Picart. [Augsburg: Martin Engelbrecht, mid-18th century].
Hand-colored engraving, cardboard.
Diorama following Bernard Picart, representing a Jewish family in a Sukkah (the original illustration appeared as a normal engraving in Picart's book, Religious Ceremonies and Customs of All the Peoples of the World).
The present diorama is made of six layers: each layer includes an engraving with various details from the full picture, mounted on a thick board. By erecting the layers horizontally, the three-dimensional effect is shown – Picart's full picture, resembling a theater scene with depth.
In the first layer the Sukkah is perceived from outside, with doors wide open; in the second layer appear the title "Jüdisches Lauberhütten Fest / Fête des Tabernacles" and three guests – two men and a lady, entering the Sukkah; in the third layer appear the Sukkah decorations, a male and female servant, and a pair of lit candlesticks; in the fourth layer appear the festival table, the rest of the family and Sukkah decorations; in the fifth layer appear two additional servants carrying two plates to the table; in the sixth layer appears the window of the Sukkah.
Dioramas such as the present item appeared at the start of the 18th century, and were purchased as wedding gifts or toys for children. The dioramas were composed of a number of layers and set up in a dedicated "peep show box" through which the engraving appeared to "come to life" and become a theater scene. The most important of the diorama printers was the engraver and publisher Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756), who among other dioramas printed two dedicated to a Jewish theme – the dedication of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam, and the Sukkot holiday meal (both following Bernard Picart's illustrations); the Sukkot diorama is the less common of the two, and to the best of our knowledge, it is not exist in any other private collection.

Six parts, approx. 16X21 cm. Without margins (in the copy in the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam, there are larger margins with the printer's details; see item no. M000635). Good condition. Light stains and damages. A paper Menorah is missing from the fourth part. The parts are glued to new carboard sheets (slightly larger than the engravings).

Exhibitions:
1. Pots and Pans: Memories from Grandma's kitchen, by Yael Wiesel. [Ashdod], Museum of Philistine Culture, 2014 (Hebrew).
2. Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 038.011.043.