Wooden table with hinged top, circa 1850
HEN I realised that this fourth object in the series would be published near the festival of Succot, I knew immediately which object I would choose. It’s a small round wooden table standing at just over 80cm with a papier mâché hinged top which is shown here it its flat position. Dated to circa 1850, we know that similar pieces were shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851, which depicted Windsor Castle and Winchester Castle.
Our object, however, is showing an equally impressive building: the interior of the New Synagogue, located at Great St Helen’s in Bishopsgate, London, which opened in 1838 after the congregation moved from nearby Leadenhall Street. The architect, Mr Davies, described the synagogue as being built on land that had formerly belonged to the East India Company and that the façade was inspired by Italian architecture and extended 110 feet from east to west.
The 60cm diameter decorated top includes a tremendous amount of detail. Our eyes are first drawn to the centre of the picture which shows the Ark curtain being drawn to the left to reveal four Torah scrolls. As our eyes travel to the left, we see two men wrapped in their tallit shawls, carrying Torah scrolls past the congregation of both men and boys, some of whom are reading from their books beneath the lamps. As we travel across the picture and to the right we see the reason this object is perfect for this time of year; a man holding the lulav in front of the congregation, helping us to see that this is in fact depicting the festival of Succot in the Synagogue. There are other details in this painting that attract our visitors’ eyes. The one that raises most questions from non-Jewish visitors is the clear inclusion of the prayer for the Royal family on the left-hand wall. This is something that surprises many of them. The pillars of the Ark are inlaid with mother of pearl, and they glimmer slightly in the light. This is particularly beautiful as the piece has been painted on a darker background.
Our research shows that there is a very similar image to this that is dated to 1841: a hand-coloured steel engraving by Henry Melville from an original study by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd. It means that the image depicted is likely to be slightly older than the object itself.
We thank Lord Bearsted, Philip Waley and friends who are named as the generous donors of this piece to the Museum’s collection which preserves the image and feel of the synagogue for generations to come.