This impressive high-relief bronze sculpture depicts a traditional Jewish woman wrapped in a headscarf, reciting the Friday night prayer over the Shabbat candles. Titled Sabbath Blessing, this work features striking modern expressionist lines, stylized planar carving, and delicate incised decorative patterns along the veil and sleeves. It bears the artist's authentic cast signature, EPSTEIN JACOB, running vertically in block capital letters at the lower left corner.

Cast in thick bronze with a warm antique patina, the plaque exhibits minor natural oxidation in the deeper relief crevices. The reverse retains its raw, open-bed sand casting texture and features two original cast/brazed brass L-bracket support feet designed for upright tabletop, desk, or display cabinet presentation. Weighing a substantial 12.6 lbs, this is a significant work of mid-century Israeli sculptural art.

Artist: Jacob Epstein (Polish/Israeli, 1921–2003)

Origin: Israel

Age: Mid-20th Century (circa 1960s–1970s)

Material: Cast Bronze / Solid Copper Alloy

Dimensions & Weight

• Dimensions: Approx. 13" H x 8.5" W

• Weight: 12.6 lbs (5.7 kg)

Condition: Very Good Vintage Condition. Solid, structural integrity with an undisturbed historical surface patina. Light age-appropriate surface wear and minor atmospheric verdigris oxidation near the lower rear bracket mounts. Stands firm and balanced on its original brass support feet.

Authenticity Assessment

This relief plaque is an authentic mid-century work by the Polish-Israeli sculptor and educator Jacob Epstein (1921–2003). Born in Poland and trained at the State Institute of Arts in Lviv, Epstein emigrated to Israel in 1959, co-founded the Bat-Yam Plastic Art Institute, and headed its sculpture department. The block-letter signature format EPSTEIN JACOB at the lower left, the open sand-bed casting technique, and the expressive modernist carving style match documented editions of his Sabbath Blessing relief works produced during his Israeli period. It is not a work by the British sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein (1880–1959).

Literature & Reference

• Book Title: Sculptors and Sculptures of Israel

• Author: Gideon Ofrat

• Reference Page: See catalog sections on the mid-century Bat-Yam school and monumental Israeli relief casting (pp. 112–128).

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