from mendelssohn to mendelssohn (2016) | exhibition texts

8/20/2019 From Mendelssohn To Mendelssohn (2016) | Exhibition Texts

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This much-celebrated (and often reproduced) painting by Moritz Daniel

Oppenheim (1800–1882) portrays an imagined meeting between scholars and

intellectual associates, Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) and Gotthold Ephraim

Lessing (1729–1781), and the Swiss theologian Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801),

at the Berlin residence of Moses Mendelssohn, located at Spandauerstraße 68.

Mendelssohn is depicted on the left, wearing a red coat, and seated at a chess

table in his library with Lavater. Lessing stands at the center behind the two.

The scene refers to two foundational moments in the history of German-Jewish

cultural interaction—the encounters between Mendelssohn and Lavater on one

hand, and Mendelssohn’s friendship with Lessing on the other—which Oppenheim

“merged” into his canvas. The actual meetings between Mendelssohn and Lavater,

which took place in 1763–64, were followed by the failed attempt on the part

of the theologian to convince Mendelssohn to embrace Christianity. The well-

known friendship between Mendelssohn and Lessing, one of the high points of

the haskalah, or “Jewish Enlightenment,” came to be considered a paradigm of

the possibility of a harmonious cohabitation between Germans and Jews.

The very notion of combining different historical moments on canvas was

directly inspired by Lessing’s writings. In his famous essay,Laocoon: An Essay on

the Limits of Painting and Poetry(1766), the author argued for the independence

of painting from poetry in extending narrative processes through space—an idea

embodied in Oppenheim’s work. Each aspect of Oppenheim’s painting thus

represents a visual cue pointing at history and its interpretations.

In Moses Mendelssohn’s Study

Moritz Oppenheim’s signature and date appear prominently

at the bottom right of the painting.

Theshapeof Mendelssohn’s profile mayhavebeenbased

uponthesilhouetteincludedin Lavater’sPhysiognomische

Fragmente (PhysiognomicFragmentsforthePromotionofthe

KnowledgeandLoveofMankind,1775–1778).Thisrepresents

quiteanironicturnon Oppenheim’spart.Inhiswork,Lavater

describedMendelssohnas“acompanionable,brilliantsoul,

withpiercingeyes,thebodyof anAesop—amanofkeen

insight,exquisitetasteandwideerudition[. ..]frank andopen-

hearted,”endingthepraisewiththe wishthatMendelssohn

couldacknowledge,“togetherwithPlatoand Moses[.. .]the

crucifiedgloryofChrist”.

Thechess board positionedatthe centeramongthethree

charactersisevocativeofLessing’sdrama,Nathan der

Weise (NathantheWise,1779).Setin Jerusalemduringthe

ThirdCrusade,thedramaexaltedthevirtues ofintellectual

exchangeandreligioustoleranceexpressedbythe meeting

betweenaJewishmerchant,Nathan,andthe enlightened

sultan,Saladin,overagame ofchess.ThecharacterofNathan

wasmodeledafterMosesMendelssohn.In thepainting,

thechessboardalsorepresentsa visualpun:Red hasbeen

putincheckmatebyWhite,in alikelyreferencetothe

intellectualsuperiorityattributedtotheassociationbetween

MendelssohnandLessingoverLavater’sstance.

Lavaterhashishand onan open book,onthepageof

whichOppenheimpaintedthename,“Bonnet.”Thebook

isinfact Lavater’sGermantranslation,titledPhilosophische

Palingenesie(PhilosophicalPalingenesis,Zurich,1769–1770),

ofaworkby CharlesBonnet(1720–1793),La palingénésie

philosophique (1769).Thepublicationofthisvolume

wasleveragedbythetheologianin hisattempttocoerce

Mendelssohnintoofferingapublicreplyconcerningthe

“essenceofChristianity.”

Abovethethreemenhangsa brass lamp,whichcombinesa

chandelier(onthetopsection)withan oillamp(atbottom),

usedrespectivelyforillumination,andforritualpurposeson

theSabbathand otherJewishholidays.

Ontheright,a female figure isenteringtheroomholding

atraywith three coffee cups.MoritzOppenheim’sstudy

forthisfemalefigureis alsopartof TheMagnesCollection,

andthefigurehas beenidentifiedbysomescholarsas

Mendelssohn’swife,FrometGuggenheim(1737–1912).Above

her, the door frame is inscribed with a blessing from the

Hebrew Bible: (barukh atah be-

voekha u-varukh atah be-tzetekha:“Blessedshaltthou be

whenthoucomestin,and blessedshaltthoube whenthou

goestout,”Deuteronomy28:6).Thisbiblical quotationmayin

turnbeconstruedasa referencetothefriendshipbetween

MendelssohnandLessing,aswell as(inyet anotherironic

turn)tothetransienceofthe conflictedrelationshipbetween

MendelssohnandLavater(whosehatand walkingstickappear

onthelowerrightof thepainting).

Behindthethreemen,on thebackwall,stands a bookshelf,

inwhichbooksof differentsizesaredisplayed.Thesizesof

thebooksmaybe areferencetothecompositestructure

ofMendelssohn’sintellectualworld,inwhichtallJewish

religioustexts(especiallytheTalmud)andregularsizesecular

(andphilosophical)volumesseamlesslycoexist.Nextto the

bookshelf,attheleft ofthewall, hangsaframed mizrach רח) ,

theHebrewwordfor“East”is faintlylegible),awall-hanging

indicatingthedirectionbeingfacedduringprayeraccording

totheJewishritual.This, alongwiththeSabbath lamphanging

fromtheceiling,a basin onwall(tobe usedforritualhand

washing),thehead covering anachronisticallyplacedover

Mendelssohn’shead(nocontemporaryiconographicsource

depictsMendelssohnwearinganyformofhead covering),the

ritual fringes of a tallit qatan visibleunder Mendelssohn’s

redovercoat,andtheHebrewinscriptiononthedoorframe,

canbeseenas attemptsonthepart ofthepainterto interpret

Mendelssohn’sattachmenttoJudaismthroughthe lenses

ofthecanonsof Jewishobservancethatdominatedthe

mid-19thcentury,whenthepaintingwasmade.

A tall volume,titled Strazze 1770 (Notebook1770),featured

noticeablyonthelowerleftof thescene,setsthe scene

chronologicallyin1770,the yearinwhichLavater’stranslation

ofBonnet’sPhilosophical palingenesis waspublished.


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Moritz D. Oppenheim (1800–1882), often celebrated as the first modern Jewish

painter, created Lavater and Lessing Visit Moses Mendelssohn in 1856. The

painting portrays an imagined mid-18th century meeting between scholars and

intellectual associates, Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) and Gotthold Ephraim

Lessing (1729–1781), and the Swiss theologian, Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801),

taking place at the Mendelssohn residence in Berlin. The intellectual friendship

between Lessing and Mendelssohn, as well as the public dispute between

Mendelssohn and Lavater, are evoked in this work through a host of visual

connections to history, literature, and Jewish culture.

From Mendelssohn To Mendelssohn draws upon the Magnes’ extensive holdings

of German-Jewish ritual art, prints, rare volumes, manuscripts, and material cultureto revisit the original setting of the painting. At the center of the exhibition

are the social networks of the German Enlightenment, and the history of the

Mendelssohn family, including the lives and works of Moses Mendelssohn’s

grandchildren, composers Fanny (1805–1847) and Felix (1809–1847).

The installation, aimed at creating a renewed imagined space of intercultural dialog

animated by a historic piano from UC Berkeley’s musical instrument collection,is the new setting of a salon-like space of intellectual and artistic gathering.

FRANCESCO SPAGNOLO, CURATOR


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Washbasin

Ritual hand washing station with lavabo, lid, basin, andbowl

Germany, ca. 18th century

Pewter with brass spigotGift of the Estate of Charlotte Stein Pick, 91.12.1.1–3

At the Heart of a Controversy:

Lavater’s BookLavater’s translation of the Swiss naturalist and philosopherC. Bonnet’s essay, La palingénésie philosophique (1769),prompted him to approach Mendelssohn in order to engage

him in a public debate on “the essence of Christianity.” InOppenheim’s painting, the book is depicted open to its titlepage on the table in Mendelssohn’s living room. On one of thetwo visible open pages the word “Bonnet” is faintly legible. Charles Bonnet (1720–1793)

Herrn C. Bonnets [. . .] Philosophische Palingenesie[. . .] und welcher insonderheit das Wesentliche seinerUntersuchungen über das Christenthum enthält, ausdem Französischen übersetzt, und mit Anmerkungenherausgegeben von Johann Caspar Lavater (Philosophicalpalingenesis [. . .] by Mr. C. Bonnet [. . .] containing as a specialfeature his research on the essence of Christianity, translatedfrom French, edited and annotated by Johann Caspar Lavater)

GermanZurich Bey Orell Gessner Füssli und Compagnie 1769 1770 vol 1


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A Game of Chess

After a painting by Jehudo Epstein (1870–1945)

In drei Bügen Matt! (Checkmate in three moves!)Germany, ca. 1900Lithographic reproduction of engravingGift of the Harry B. and Branka J. Sondheim Judaica Collection, 2000.19.4

Henry Landa (b. Kiev, Ukraine, 1931)Chess set

Kazakhstan, 1942Scrapwood, oven paintGift of Anna and Henry Landa, 2015.13

Henry Landa carved and painted a chess set at age eleven,when he and his family fled Nazi-occupied Ukraine, andspent the last years of the Second World War as refugees inKazakhstan. Mr. Landa donated the set to The Magnes in 2015.


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Serving Coffee

Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800–1882)

Servant with Tray (Study for oil painting) Germany, ca. 1850Graphite on paperGift of the Magnes Museum Women’s Guild, 75.156

Demitasse set with base coffee cups, inscribed with NC

[Nissim de Camondo] monogramParis, France, Jullien Fils Ainé, 1855Porcelain ChinaGift of James Katz, 99.1.3.1, 99.1.3.2.1–6a-b

Banker Nissim de Camondo (Constantinople 1830–Paris 1889)

married Elise Fernandez in 1855. He and his brother, AbrahamBehor (1829–1889), received a nobility title from VictorEmmanuel II for their financial support of Italy’s unificationin 1867, and moved to Paris with their families in 1869. Theirhome in rue de Monceau houses the Nissim de Camondo

Museum.


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Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800–1882)

Man in Tri-Cornered Hat (Study for oil painting)

Germany, n.d.Graphite on paper

Gift of the Magnes Museum Women’s Guild, 75.157

Jewish men’s ritual head covering

Germany, n.d. (ca. 1925)SilkGift of Mrs. Ellen Block in memory of Paul M. Block, 79.67.2

Jewish men’s ritual head covering

Germany n.d. (ca. 1910)CottonGift of Werner J. Heumann, 89.38.3


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Mendelssohn Family Life

Jakob Gottlieb Thelott (1708–1760), after a painting by

Lucas Conrad Pfandzelt (1716–1786)Wahre Abbildung, Der andem Iuden Ioseph SüßOppenheimers [. . .] Execution (A true depiction of theExecution of the Jew Ioseph Süß Oppenheimer [Joseph benIssachar Suesskind, 1698 or 1699–1738)

Augsburg, Germany, 1738Engraving on handmade rag paperGift of Dr. Elliot Zaleznik, 76.305

Anonymous

Herz Homberg, n.d.Engraving on paperJudah L. Magnes Museum purchase, Siegfried S. Strauss Collection,

67.1.10.30

Portrait of Naphtali Herz Homberg (1749–1841), who studied

under Moses Mendelssohn and tutored his eldest son,Joseph Mendelssohn, in the 1780s.

Attributed to Wilhelm Hensel (1794–1861)

Fanny Hensel, geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Fanny Hensel,née Mendelssohn Bartholdy)

Germany, 1847EngravingGift of Helene Eutzmann Hayne 76 43


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August Weger (1823–1892), after a bust by Hermann Knaur(1811–1872)

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Leipzig, Germany, Verlag v. Baumgärtner’s Buchhandlung, n.d. (ca. 1850)

Engraving on paperJudah L. Magnes Museum purchase, Siegfried S. Strauss Collection,67.1.10.10

August Weger (1823–1892) and Johann-Paul Singer (1823–?)

Wilhelm Hensel und Fanny Hensel geb. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (Wilhelm Hensel and Fanny Hensel bornMendelssohn-Bartholdy)

Leipzig, Germany, Alexander Alboth, 1846Engraving on Paper

Judah L. Magnes Museum purchase, Siegfried S. Strauss Collection,67.1.10.31

G. Müller, after a drawing by Richard Püttner (1842–1913)

Das Georgenhaus und die Heuwage in Leipzig [View ofLeipzig Jewish quarter]

Die Gartenlaube (Leipzig), 32/1871Lithographic reproduction of engravingGift of the Harry B. and Branka J. Sondheim Judaica Collection,2000.19.74


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Frederick James Smyth

Funeral of Mendelssohn, at Leipzig

The Illustrated London News (London), November 20, 1847, p. 324Lithographic reproduction of engraving

Gift of the Harry B. and Branka J. Sondheim Judaica Collection,2000.19.39

Moses Mendelssohn as Icon

Anonymous

Über die Haupgrundsätze der schönen Künste undWissenschaften (On the Main Principles of the Fine Arts andSciences)

German, Latin, HebrewGermany, n.d. (ca. 1781)Engraving on paperGift of William P. Wreden, 75.2

Allegorical tribute to Moses Mendelssohn, titled after hisessay On the main principles of fine arts and sciences (1757).Mendelssohn’s portrait is surrounded by German excerptsfrom his publications, allegorical images of the Arts, imagesof open books that include the Bible printed in both Hebrewand German as well as Mendelssohn’s own Philosophical

Writings (1771) and Phädon (1767), and banderoles with Latinquotations from various authors, including Seneca.


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Anonymous

Moses Mendelssohn, 1729–1786 n.d.

Offset lithograph

Gift of Seymour Fromer, 76.186

Anonymous

Moses Mendelssohn

n.d.Engraving on paperJudah L. Magnes Museum purchase, Siegfried S. Strauss Collection,67.1.10.22


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Ernst Carl Gottlieb Thelott (1760–1834), after a watercolorattributed to Johannes Pfenninger (1765–1825)

Portraits of Spinoza, Mendelssohn and Lessing

Printed in Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (1743–1819), Ueber die Lehre des

Spinoza in Briefen an den Herrn Moses Mendelssohn (Concerning theDoctrine of Spinoza in Letters to Mr. Moses Mendelssohn)Breslau, G. Löwe, 1789

B3998 J33 1789, Reproduction courtesy of The Bancroft Library

Friedrich Jacobi’s work, originally published in 1785, attacked

both Moses Mendelssohn and Gotthold Lessing, accusingthe latter of “Spinozism,” or pantheism and thus, implicitly,of atheism. These accusations were based upon an allegedconversation between Jacobi and Lessing that was not toodissimilar from the one between Mendelssohn and CasparLavater that is the focus of Moritz Oppenheim’s 1856 painting.

The book gave way to the “Pantheism Dispute.” Its secondedition was introduced by two vignettes. The first portrayedthe philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677). The secondwas a “double portrait” in which Mendelssohn appears to beominously “shadowing” Lessing.


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Johann Caspar Lavater (1741–1801)

Silhouette of Moses Mendelssohn

Printed in Johann Caspar Lavater, Physiognomische Fragmente(Physiognomic Fragments)

Winterthur, Heinrich Steiners und Compagnie, 1783–1787, vol. 2: 136BF843 .L274 1783, reproduction courtesy of The Bancroft Library

Originally published in 1775–1778, Lavater’s studies onphysiognomy included a silhouette of Mendelssohn’sprofile, which may have been the source for his portrait inM. Oppenheim’s 1856 painting. About the silhouette, Lavaterwrote: ‘You probably know this silhouette. It is very dear tome! It speaks volumes! I marvel at its contours! My gaze runsfrom the marvelous arch of the forehead to the sharp bonesof the eye. In these depths resides a Socratic soul. Markthe wonderful transition from nose to upper lip [. . .] how

all this combines to make the divine truth of physiognomypalpable and visible.’ Lavater described Mendelssohn as ‘acompanionable, brilliant soul, with piercing eyes, the bodyof an Aesop—a man of keen insight, exquisite taste and wideerudition [. . .] frank and open-hearted. [. . .] Yes, I see him,Abraham’s son, who—together with Plato and Moses—will

surely recognize and worship the crucified Lord of Splendor!’


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Entering the Scholar’s Study

Synagogue window (door pediment)

San Francisco, Calif., United States, 19th C.Glass, wood, leadGift of Seymour Fromer, 91.39

Nissim bar Sheshet

Synagogue plaque inscribed with shiviti text and biblical

quotations HebrewMarrakech, Morocco, 1957Graphite and colored pencil on paper76.55

Sukkah decorationJerusalem, Palestine, Zukerman Press, n.d (late 19th C.)Offset Lithograph2007.0.40

Ritual Jewish images inscribed in Hebrew with the biblical

verse, “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, andblessed shalt thou be when thou goest out” (Deuteronomy28:6), which is engraved on the door frame of MosesMendelssohn’s study in Oppenheim’s painting.


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Lamps for Everyday Use &Jewish Festivals

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Hanging lamp and chandelier for Sabbath and Festivalsand for everyday use with eight oil wells, eight branches,and drip pan

Germany, 18th centuryBrassThe Peachy and Mark Levy Family Judaica Collection, 2015.6.93

Hanging lamp and chandelier for Sabbath and Festivalswith eight oil wells, seven branches, drip pan and crown-shaped top

Eastern Europe, 18th centuryBrassJudah L. Magnes Museum purchase with funds provided byElie J. Tennenbaum, 76.118

Hanging lamp and chandelier for Sabbath and Festivalsand for everyday use with eight oil wells, four branches,and drip pan

Germany, 19th centuryBrassThe Peachy and Mark Levy Family Judaica Collection, 2015.6.124


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Facing East

Mizrach with shiviti text and quotations from the Psalms(fragment)

North Africa, ca. 1900Gift of Geraldine and Robert Misrach, 88.50.2

A mizrach, named after the Hebrew word for “east,” is adevotional plaque that designates the direction to be facedduring prayer. The Hebrew word also contains the acronym

mi-tzad zeh ruach chayim (“from this side [comes] the spiritof life”). Placed on the walls of homes and synagogues,the plaques are often inscribed with scriptural passages,amuletic and kabbalistic texts, or depictions of holy places.This fragment is inscribed with quotations from the Bookof Psalms (16:8; 19:8; 19:9; and 101:10). A mizrach appears onthe left of the back wall of Moses Mendelssohn’s study inOppenheim’s painting.


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Tallit katanUndergarment supporting ritual fringes

Germany, 19th century (ca. 1880)Wool and cotton fringe

Gift of Mrs. Irving Klein, 77.268

Three Characters

G. Heuer & Kirmse, after a painting by Karl Zewy (1855–1929)Der Zweifler (The Doubter)

Berlin, Germany, n.d. (ca. 1890)Lithographic reproduction of engravingGift of the Harry B. and Branka J. Sondheim Judaica Collection, 2000.19.10

Carved wooden cane inscribed in Arabic script

Iran via Palestine, 19th centuryCarved wood with black pigmentGift of Helen Young Crawford, 68.5

Cane brought from Jerusalem by Professor Charles Young,Professor of Hebrew, University of Chicago, 1900. Given tothe Magnes Memorial Museum by his daughter, Helen YoungCrawford.


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The Mendelssohn Family

Inthe 18thcenturyabout 3,500Jews livedin Berlin.Theywerenot yetemancipated,

meaningthat theydid notenjoy civil rights.Rather,they were “tolerated,” an official

legal categorythat meanttheir residencyandoccupation rightswere guaranteed

with lettersofprotection. Thisarrangementalso meantthat such rightscouldbe

arbitrarilyrescinded.

The leadingfigure ofthe small Berlin Jewish communitywas MosesMendelssohn

(1729–1786).Born in the cityof Dessau,he wasthe son ofa poorTorah scribe.

When histutorand intellectual mentor,RabbiDavid Hirshl Fränkel movedto

Berlin to take upthe postof chiefrabbi in thatcity,Mendelssohn,aged fourteen,

followedhimthere. Workingasa bookkeeperin aJewish silkfactory byday,

Mendelssohn,who hadarrivedinthe capital speakingonlyYiddish andknowing

onlyJewish texts,soon learnedLatin,Greek, German,French,and English.He

also studiedvariousbranchesof contemporaryandancient philosophy,aesthetics,

language,music composition,andplayedpiano aswell as wrote music criticism.All

the while he remainedadeeply piousJew,steeped in the worldof Jewish texts.

Mendelssohn’sreputation wassuch that he earnedthe title of the “Jewish Socrates.”

In 1763,the Berlin Jewish communityhonoredhim byabsolvinghim ofpayment of

Jewish communal taxes.

MosesMendelssohn wasagenuine celebrityand wasthe mostvisible symbol of

the possibilityofa Jewliving in two worlds—the traditional Jewish andthe modern

secular.Assuch he wasbefriendedbyboth Jewsand non-Jews.Writing to the

non-Jewish philosopherandplaywrightGotthold EphraimLessing,the publisher

andpoet Friedrich Nicolairemarked,“I amindebtedto [Mendelssohn] forthe most

cheerful hoursof the pastwinterand summer.I neverleft him,regardlessof how

longwe were together,withoutbecoming eitherbetteror more learned.” Thiswas

atruly revolutionarysentiment,for rarelyhada non-Jewspoken so warmlyof a

Jew.It was,for mostnon-Jews,inconceivable thatone’swisdom ormoral character

couldbe improvedbyfriendshipwith aJew.Many othernon-Jewswho made

Mendelssohn’sacquaintance feltsimilarly.

In 1762 Mendelssohn married Fromet Guggenheim,who stemmedfroma prominent

HamburgJewish family.Togethertheybuilt ahome thatwasa hubof social and

cultural activity,visited byJews andnon-Jewsalike.Their situation soon propelled

theminto Jewish high society.

The Mendelssohn’smarriage wasa lovingand happyone andtogethertheyhad

ten children,sixof whomsurvivedinto adulthood.Joseph, Abraham,Nathan,

Dorothea,Recha,and Henriettaall marriedinto the wealthyJewish elite,but the

temptationsofnon-Jewish culture andsociety,somethingthat Mendelssohn himself

wasable to control,proveda more difficultundertakingfor hischildren.With

the exception ofJoseph andRecha,all of the siblingsconvertedto Christianity.

Dorothea,an authorandtranslator,marriedthe poetandcritic, Karl Wilhelm

FriedrichSchlegel(afterdivorcing herfirst husband,bankerSimon Veit).Abraham

Mendelssohn,who marriedLea Solomon,wasthe fatherof Felix and Fanny

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.Abraham hadencouragedFelix to adoptthe surname

Bartholdyin place ofMendelssohn in orderto signifya final breakwith Judaism,

tellinghisson, “There can no more be aChristian Mendelssohn than there can

be aJewish Confucius.” In defiance ofhisfather, Felixnever droppedthe name

Mendelssohn.In 1822,Abrahamand Lea,who hadalreadyhad theirchildren

baptized,convertedto Christianity“because,” wrote Abrahamto Fanny,“itis the

religiousformacceptable to the majorityof civilizedhuman beings.” The abilityto

be both fullyJewish andfullyGerman,which was so natural to Mosesand Fromet,

provedto be an accommodation thatwastoo difficultto bear forthe majority

oftheir own children,butnot onlythem. In Berlin,between 1770and 1830,

nearly1,600 Jewswere baptized,more than 1,200ofthem in the firstthree

decadesofthe 19th century.It wasreferredto in German asthe Taufepidemie ,

the “epidemic of baptisms.”

JOHN M. EFRON

KoretProfessorofJewish History,Universityof California,Berkeley

Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786)

The son ofaTorah scribe,Mendelssohn receivedatraditional

Jewish education in hisnative Dessau.He moved to Berlin in

1743,where he pursuedJewish andsecularstudies. In addition

to German andHebrew,he acquiredknowledge ofLatin,Greek,

English,French,and Italian.Supportinghimselfas amerchant

anda partnerin asilk factory,he engagedin an intense and

public literaryandintellectual life.In 1762,he marriedFromet

GuggenheimofHamburg, andin 1763 he washe grantedthe

“rightofresidence” in Berlin bythe king.Mendelssohn began to

publish hisphilosophical writingsin 1754,initially underguidance

ofGottholdEphraim Lessing(1729–1781),whomhe hadmet in

the same year.In 1763, he wasawardedthe firstprize ofthe

Prussian Royal Academyof Sciencesfor his Treatise on Evidence

in Metaphysical Knowledge ,but once the academyelected

himas amember in 1771,KingFrederick IIrefused to ratifyits

decision.He publisheda German translation andcommentary

ofthe Pentateuch, Sefer Netivot ha-Shalom (1780–83),printed

in Hebrewscript.In 1769,he became embroiledin a dispute on

the Jewish religion fomentedbythe Swisstheologian Johann

KasparLavater(1741–1801),andfrom then on,he confinedmost

ofhis literaryactivity to the sphere ofJudaism.

AbrahamMendelssohn (laterAbrahamErnestMendelssohn-

Bartholdy),the fifth childofFrometand MosesMendelssohn,

wasa bankerand philanthropist,andthe fatherofFanny and

FelixMendelssohn.Togetherwith hisolderbrother,Joseph,

he wasafounder ofthe enlightenedcircle ofJewish notables,

the Jewish liberal society Gesellschaft der Freunde (1792).

He wasalso amemberofthe Berlin Sing-Akademie ,a musical

societylater joinedbyhis future wife,Lea Salomon.He moved

to Parisin 1797 to study,and in 1804marriedLea Salomon in

Hamburg,where theyresideduntil movingto Berlin in 1811,and

where three oftheirfourchildren were born (Fannyin 1805,

Felixin 1809 andRebeckain 1811;the fourth,Paul, wasborn

in Berlin in 1812).Leawas the granddaughterof Daniel Itzig,a

CourtJew andcommunityleader in Berlin,and the niece of

Sarah Levy(1761–1854),apupil ofWilhelm Friedemann Bach

(Johann Sebastian Bach’seldestson), akeyboardperformerand

acollector ofmusic manuscriptsofthe Bach family.Abraham

acquiredadditional manuscriptsfrom the widowofCarl Philipp

Emanuel Bach,eventuallyentrustingthe music collection to

the Akademie .He andhis wife decidedto nothave theirsons

rituallycircumcisedaccordingto Jewish tradition,andinitially

raisedtheirchildren withoutany religiouseducation.The

Mendelssohn children were privatelybaptizedin the Protestant

faith in 1816,and AbrahamandLea in 1822,in the French

CalvinistChurch ofFrankfurt. Theytook the surname Bartholdy

(Abrahameventuallyurged hisson, Felix,to onlyuse that,“asa

distinction fromthe otherMendelssohns”)followingthe example

ofLea’sbrother,who hadalready convertedto Christianity

several yearsbefore andadoptedthe name Bartholdy,after

afamily dairyfarm. The bankingpartnershipwith hisbrother

Joseph,Mendelssohn & Co.,operatedin Berlin until the endof

1938,when itwasliquidatedby the Naziregime.

Abraham Ernest Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1776–1835)

Fanny (Cäcilie) Mendelssohn (-Bartholdy) Hensel(1805–1847)

FelixMendelssohn,a conductor,pianist,organist,and composer,

wasa central figure ofGerman music duringthe 1830sand’40s.

Mendelssohn wasborn in Hamburg,waseducatedin Berlin

andParis,travelled extensivelyin France,England,and Italy.He

livedand workedin Berlin,London,Düsseldorf, andLeipzig.The

catalogue ofhis compositionscomprisesoverone hundredand

fiftyworks,including 121 with opusnumbers.His earlymusical

education wasoverseen byhis mother,Lea.Along with his

sister,Fanny,he studiedmusic theory,harmony,counterpoint

andcomposition with the Akademie ’sdirector,Carl Friedrich

Zelter(Goethe’smusical confidant).Hisearliestcomposition

isfrom1819. Hisgeneral education advancedequallyrapidly,

andhe became an avidclassicist,studying andtranslatingLatin

andGreek literature.Encouragedbyhis father,Felixbegan to

take on progressivelymore ambitiousmusical projects:on his

twelfth birthday,a Singspiel he composedwasperformedin a

fullystagedversion, with an orchestrarecruitedfromthe royal

Kappelle,in atheaterthathad been speciallybuilt in ahall of

the Mendelssohn’shome in Berlin.In 1821,Zelter arrangeda

two-weekvisitwith Goethe in Weimar.In 1823,Mendelssohn

receivedfromhis maternal grandmother,BellaSalomon,a

manuscriptcopyof Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.The following

year,he endedhis apprenticeshipunderZelter,and hismother

hiredpiano virtuoso IgnazMoscheles to give Felixand Fanny

finishingpiano lessons.In 1825,the familymoved fromthe

home ofBellaSalomon to anew residence at3 Leipzigerstrasse,

which became an importantmusical andcultural center, visited

byHeine, Hegel,Alexandervon Humboldt,andmany others.

Ashis workscontinuedto be performedacrossGermany,in

1827,Felix,on hismother’srecommendation,enrolledin the

UniversityofBerlin, where he attendedHegel’slectures on

aesthetics.With the revival ofBach’s St. Matthew Passion

atthe Berlin Sing-Akademie in 1829,Mendelssohn’scareer

waspropellednationally andinternationally.He travelledand

performedextensivelyin Germany,England,Austria,Italy,

andFrance, meetingwith manygreatcomposers,performers,

critics,andpoets. while atthe same time remainingin constant

epistolarycontactwith hisfamilyin Berlin,andattending

familyeventsthere, forwhich he continuedto write specially

composedworks.In 1833 he wasoffereda three-yearposition

in Düsseldorf,conductingthe choral andorchestralsocieties

andmusic forCatholic services.In 1835 he became the director

ofthe Gewandhausand Thomasschule in Leipzig,where he

workedfortwelve years,directinga yearlysubscription series

oftwenty concerts,in which he participatedasconductor and

pianist,performingmanyof hisown worksand those ofhis

contemporaries,along with the German Classical repertoire.His

fatherdiedthat same year,andhe became close with hisaunt,

Dorotheavon Schlegel.In 1837 he marriedCécile Jeanrenaud,

the daughterof aHuguenot minister.In 1841,Mendelssohn was

appointedKapellmeisteratthe Berlin court,andthe following

year(athis mother’sbehest)he acceptedthe position of

Generalmusikdirector ,charged with overseeingsacredmusic

in the capital.His motherpassedaway thatsame year,and he

continuedto also workin Leipzig,where in 1843 he began

teachingatthe newmusic Conservatory,and receivedhonorary

citizenship.In Berlin,he prepareda newsettingof the Te Deum,

performedatthe Berlin Cathedral markingthe millenniumof

the foundingofthe German Reich.Mendelssohn relocated

there atthe endofthe year,servingas the royal composerof

church music.He continuedto workbetween Berlin,London,

Frankfurt,andLeipzig. HissisterFanny diedin Mayof 1847,and

he diedin Leipzigin November.A funeral service washeldat

the Paulinerkirche in Leipzigon November7,and he wasburied

in Berlin nextto hissister’sgrave.

Composer,pianistandconductorFanny Mendelssohn wasthe

sisterofcomposerFelix Mendelssohn,the daughterofbanker

andmusic collectorAbrahamMendelssohn-Bartholdy,the

granddaughterof philosopherMosesMendelssohn,and the

grandniece ofperformerandmusic collector,Sarah Levy,andof

the patronessofmusic,arts andliterature,and Viennasalonnière ,

Fannyvon Arnstein (1758–1818).She wasinitiallytaughtpiano by

hermother,Lea Salomon,andlater on byLudwigBerger,and in

1816 byMarie Bigotin Paris.At age thirteen,Fanny performedin

public,frommemory,all preludesfromBach’s Well-Tempered

Clavier .She studiedtheory andcomposition with C.F.Zelter,

andin 1820she enrolled in the BerlinSing-Akademie .Herfirst

composition datesfromDecember1819, alied in honorof her

father’sbirthday;she subsequentlymostlywrote liederand

piano pieces,amountingto circa 500compositions.Herfather,

however,discouragedherto pursue music asa profession.In

1829,Fannymarriedthe Prussian courtpainterWilhelmHensel

(1894–1861),with whomshe hada child,Sebastian (laterafamily

biographer).In the following year,she began animatingasalon,

forwhich she wrote andperformedmostof hercompositions,

includingac antataandan oratorio on biblical themes,and

chamberworks.Fanny livedin closedcontact with heryounger

brother,Felix,until hismarriage in 1837.She began publishingher

compositionswithoutFelix’s involvementin 1846.Very fewof

hercompositionswere published,includingeleven numbered

works,andsixteen single pieceswithoutopusnumber.

Felix (Jakob Ludwig) Mendelssohn (-Bartholdy) (1809–1847)

Fromet Guggenheim (1737–1812)

A great-granddaughterofthe Viennese Court Jew,Samuel

Oppenheimer(1630–1703),FrometmarriedMosesMendelssohn

in 1762.Theyhad sixchildren.Among herancestorswas Joseph

Ben IssacharSuesskindOppenheimer(1698 or1699–1738),also

known as“JudSuess,” CourtJewand confidential financial

adviserto the duke ofWuerttemberg,wronglychargedof

embezzlementandpubliclyhanged in 1738.


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Bookends

Anonymous

Bookends depicting a man wearing a headcovering and a prayer shawl, reading froma book

Cast bronze alloyLIB 67.212 and LIB 67.213

1.

David ben Shlomoh Gans (1541–1613)

tzemach david (The offspring of David)

HebrewFrankfurt am Main, [5]452-1692Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 62

2.

Johann Christoph Georg Bodenschatz (1717–1797)

Kirchliche Verfassung der heutigen Juden,sonderlich derer in Deutschland (The religiouscondition of contemporary Jews, especially thosein Germany)

GermanFrankfurt und Leipzig, Auf Kosten des Auctoris, 1748–1749Gift of Temple Sinai (Oakland, Calif.), RB 93

3.

Isaiah Horowitz (c. 1565–1630)

sefer shene luchot ha-berit (The two tablets ofthe Law”), Vol. 2

HebrewAmsterdam, Imanuel Benvenisti, [5]409 [1648–1649]Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB OS72

4.

seder ha-machzor cheleq rishon be-minhagpolin . . . (Prayer book for the High Holy Days,Part One, according to the Polish ritual)

Hebrew

Sulzbach, Aharon ben Zalman, [5]542 [1781–1782]RB OS62

The Scholar’s Bookshelf

5.

Petrus Cunaeus (1586–1638)

De Republyk Der Hebreen, of GemeenebestDer Joden, in Drie Boeken (The republic of theHebrews, or the Commonwealth of the Jews,in three parts)

DutchAmsterdam, Daniel van den Dalen, 1700

RB 16

6.

Claude Fleury (1640–1723) and Daniel Ghys

De Zeeden Der Israeliten . . . (The customs ofthe Israelites)

DutchAmsterdam, Robbert Blokland, 1702RB 46

7.

Yitzchaq ben Yehudah Abravanel (1437–1508)perush ha-torah (Commentary on thePentateuch)

HebrewVenice, [Bragadin], 5339 [1578–1579]Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 1/6

8.

Yitzchaq ben Yehudah Abravanel (1437–1508)

perush ha-torah (Commentary on the

Pentateuch)HebrewHannover, Heinrich Jacob van Bashyusen, 1721Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 1/4

TOP SHELF


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Bookends

Louis Vincent Aronson (1869–1940)

Bookends depicting the Tablets of theLaw with the Decalogue listed in Hebrewaccording to Roman numerals, surmounted bya six-pointed star and surrounded by rays oflight and rocks

New York, United States, 1922Silver plate over cast Bronze alloyPeachy and Mark Levy Family Judaica Collection,2015.6.96 a–b

9.

Avraham Zacuto (1452–1515)

sefer ha-yuchasin (Book of lineage)

HebrewAmsterdam, Proops, 1717Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 519

10.

seder ha-tiqun le-leyl hosha’na raba (Prayersfor the night vigil of Hosha’na raba)

HebrewAmsterdam, Proops, [5]527 [1766–1767]Gift of Seymour Fromer, RB 40

11.

Paul Christian Kirchner (17th–18th cent.) andSebastian Jugendres (1685–1765)

Iüdisches Ceremoniel . . . (Jewish CeremonialRites . . .)

GermanNuremberg, Peter Conrad Monath, 1724

Gift of Rabbi Irving Frederick Reichert, RB 21

12.

Yoseph ben Ephraim Caro (1488–1575)

shulchan ‘arukh . . . orach chayyim (The settable . . . Manner of life)

HebrewAmsterdam, Kasman ben Yosef Barukh, [5]528 [1767–1768]Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 249

13.

Yitzchaq Aboab (end of 14th cent.)

sefer menor at ha-maor (Book of thecandlestick of light)

HebrewSulzbach, Zalman ben Aharon, 1755Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 806

14.

Yoseph ben Ephraim Caro (1488–1575)

tur even ha-’ezer (The Stone of Help [shulchan’arukh])

HebrewBerlin, Zeev Wolf, [5]462 [1702–1703]Jewish community of Kochi (Kerala, India), RB 14/3

15.

masekhet zevachim. talmud bavli ‘im perushrash”i ve-tosafot u-fisqe tosafot u-mishnayiot‘im perush ha-rambam (Babylonian Talmud:Tractate Zevachim, with commentaries by Rashiand Maimonides)

Hebrew and Aramaic

Frankfurt an der Oder, Michael Gottschalk - JohannChristoph Beckmann, 1697Jewish community of Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia),RB 2/4

16.

Netanel Weil (1687–1769)

qorban netanel (Commentary on Talmud,Tractates Mo’ed and Nashim)

HebrewKarlsruhe, L. J. Held, 1755

Jewish community of Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia),RB OS74

17.

masekhet menachot ‘im perush rash”i . . .(Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Menachot, withcommentaries by Rashi and Maimonides)

Hebrew and AramaicBerlin and Frankfurt an der Oder, Michael Gottschalk,[5]481 [1721]Jewish community of Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia),RB OS31

MIDDLE SHELF


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Sebastian Hensel (1830–1898)Die Familie Mendelssohn 1729 bis 1847 NachBriefen und Tagebüchern (The Mendelssohnfamily (1729–1847) from letters and journals)

GermanBerlin, B. Behr, 1898, 2 vols.ML385.H54 v.1–2

kitve qodesh [. . .] sefer netivot ha-shalom. ve-hu chibur kolel chamishat chumshe torah ‘im

targum ashkenazi u-biur me-et ha-chachamha-mefursam mohr”r mosheh medesoy (SacredScriptures [. . .] Sefer netivot ha-shalom, acompendium of the five books of the Torah withGerman translation and commentary by the wiseand sage rabbi Moses Mendelssohn)

Hebrew and German (in Hebrew script)Vienna, Anton Schmid, 1818RB 189

Abram Samuel Isaacs (1852–1920)Step By Step. The Early Days of MosesMendelssohn

EnglishPhiladelphia, The Jewish Publication Society of America,191062.836

Sebastian Hensel (1830–1898)

Die Familie Mendelssohn 1729 bis 1847 Nach

Briefen und Tagebüchern (The Mendelssohnfamily (1729–1847) from letters and journals)

GermanBerlin, G. Reimer, 1911, 2 vols.ML385 H52 v.1–2

BOTTOM SHE LF

Moses Mendelssohn and his family in 18th–19th century publications


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from mendelssohn to mendelssohn (2016) | exhibition texts

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