Passage through the Red Sea: A Haggadah Illustration by Jakob Steinhardt
From Our Holdings
They barely escaped with their lives – as is revealed in the expression on Moses' face in this woodcut by Jakob Steinhardt (1887–1968).
When the Israelites fled from Egypt, God parted the Red Sea so that they could reach the far shore in safety. The waters closed behind them, drowning their pursuers.
Expressionist Illustrations
The print comes from a Haggadah, the book read at the Passover seder that recounts the exodus from Egypt. Erich Göritz, a textiles manufacturer from Chemnitz, had commissioned it from the artist Jakob Steinhardt. Steinhardt was one of the most important Jewish expressionists and is known primarily for his woodcuts.
Jakob Steinhardt, Passage through the Red Sea, about 1921; Jewish Museum Berlin, accession GDR 93/8/154, purchased with funds provided by Stiftung DKLB, photo: Jens Ziehe
Jakob Steinhardt, Passage through the Red Sea, about 1921; Jewish Museum Berlin, accession GDR 93/8/154, purchased with funds provided by Stiftung DKLB, photo: Jens Ziehe
Who was Moses?
Moses, a prophet who rescued the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery and led them through the desert to the Promised Land, received from God the Ten Commandments and the Torah on Mount Sinai
What is Passover?
Passover, Pessah (Hebr. for passing over) holiday in the spring commemorating the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
A Synthesis of Tradition and Modernity
Steinhardt's Haggadah was published in 1921 by the Ferdinand Ostertag publishing house in Berlin. Its artistic and historical significance rests on the artist's synthesis of tradition and artistic modernity. Steinhardt took up elements of the well-known Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695, and artist Franziska Baruch, who designed the Hebrew typeface, drew on the Prague Haggadah of 1526.
An Art Book for German Jews
After publishing the valuable large deluxe edition, Ferdinand Ostertag introduced a compact popular version of the Haggadah in 1923. Although it was better suited for use at the seder table, it only contained the Hebrew text. Like the deluxe edition, it was thus more of an art book than a liturgical work since most German Jews had only a poor command of Hebrew.
| Title | Passage through the Red Sea |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jakob Steinhardt (1887–1968) |
| Collection | Fine Arts |
| Year of origin | about 1921 |
| Medium | Woodcut on machine-made paper |
| Dimensions | 24,1 x 18,3 cm (motif); 33,4 x 24,2 cm (sheet) |
| Acquisition | Purchased with funds provided by Stiftung DKLB |
Selected Objects: Fine Arts Collection (12)
-
Fine Arts Collection
Glance through our art holdings featuring modernist works by Max Liebermann and Lovis Corinth, and commercial graphic art by Louis Oppenheim. The motifs span from biblical and Jewish themes to intimate portraits and Felix Nussbaum’s haunting response to his experience of persecution.
-
Albertine Mendelssohn-Bartholdy as a Bride by August Theodor Kaselowsky
In this painting, Albertine Heine appears to be a Christian Madonna. She holds the ring near her heart, wearing a white dress with her gaze modestly lowered.
-
Biblical map of the Holy Land
This "New and Original Biblical Map of the Holy Land" from 1893 was probably never intended to be used by pilgrims or travelers on the ground.
-
Loneliness by Felix Nussbaum
Nussbaum is nearly unique among artists for his striking examination of his plight as one of the persecuted. He painted it in Brussels, where he was in hiding, in 1942.
-
The Plesch Family Portrait by Max Slevogt
Max Slevogt created this painting of his friend's family in 1928. It captures the intimacy of family life while fulfilling a group portrait's representative function.
-
Composition by Otto Freundlich
Otto Freundlich painted this abstract composition in 1938 – one year after another artwork of his had been branded "degenerate art" in Nazi Germany.
-
Moses Looks upon the Promised Land by Lesser Ury
For artist Lesser Ury, the painting marked the end of a lifelong preoccupation with the figure of Moses. Unfortunately, only a pastel sketch for the painting survives.
-
Petermannchen by Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth painted this portrait of his student and wife-to-be during a beach vacation on the Baltic coast. It contains a secret romantic message.
-
Sabbath by Jankel Adler
Jankel Adler's painting Sabbath shows a parlor scene on the weekly day of rest. But the artist has not depicted the festive, pleasurable moment of welcoming the Shabbat.
-
Girl Walking by Elisabeth Wolff
The sculpture by Elisabeth Wolff was a trophy at the first sporting festival held by the Reich Committee for Jewish Youth Associations, in 1934. The artwork has only been entrusted to our collection for safekeeping.
-
Self-Portrait with Straw Hat by Max Liebermann
In this late self-portrait, the artist presents himself as bourgeois in a dark suit and a Panama hat. Two years after his eightieth birthday, he painted himself here with a touch of resignation and melancholy.
-
S. Adam Advertising Poster by Louis Oppenheim
With this poster by the well-known graphic artist Louis Oppenheim, the S. Adam clothing store advertised its products to male and female sports enthusiasts in 1908.
-
Passage through the Red Sea by Jakob Steinhardt
This woodcut by Jakob Steinhardt illustrates a 1920s Haggadah. The people barely escaped with their lives—as is revealed in the expression on Moses’ face.