Hammered copper Bezalel plate

This decorative plate was produced by the Bezalel art school in Jerusalem, founded in the early twentieth century to develop a national Jewish craft combining biblical and Orientalist inspirations. Bezalel brought together workshops in metalwork, weaving, carpets and goldsmithing where artisans formed an ornamental repertoire uniting Near Eastern motifs and themes from Jewish history. This type of plate combines the hammering of copper with biblical scenes or verses executed in relief, in a deliberately artisanal manner. A decorative and identity object, it illustrates the birth of a modern Hebrew applied art in the Holy Land.