a Selection of Famous Rabbinic Portraits and their Origins part I

This is a revised version of an article I originally published in the Jewish Press

The power of a portrait of great men is of utmost important in Judaism. The Medrash writes how Yosef Hatzadik was saved from sin, by his seeing an image of his father's likeness. Rebbi stated that the reason that he was sharper in learning than his peers, was due to his meriting to see Rabbi Meir (Talmud Eruvin 13:). Thus it is not surprising, that nearly every Jewish home today is adorned with portraits of great leaders, from contemporary, to Rabbis from centuries ago.

Historically though, in many circles there was much opposition to the creation of portraits and later of photographs. In early Hasidut, as well in Kabbalistic circles, the making of a portrait was often frowned upon and forbidden. For the Jews of Arab lands, the surrounding Muslim cultures prohibited the creation of portraits and thus for the Jews that lived among Muslims, it is rare to find any portraits made until recent times. In light of this, it is fascinating to see the origins of the portraits that did make it down to us through time and the circumstances that they were made in. Below is a look in to some of the more familiar portraits of Gedolim that are known today and their origins.

R. Akiva Eger 1761-1837

Der Marktplaz in Posen, with R. Akiva Eiger in lower left 

Portraits of R. Akiva Eiger seem to have appeared already during his lifetime, though it is unknown how and when they were originally made. One example, a painting done by Julius Knorr, named Der Marktplaz in Posen (1838), shows a large market scene, with three elderly rabbis carrying canes walking together on the lower left-hand corner. The figure in the center is R. Akiva Eiger, who most likely was unaware that an illustration was being made of his likeness. R. Eiger was 74 years old at the time and is depicted walking with difficulty, he passed away just a few months later. Years later, a publisher enlarged this portion of the painting, depicting the three Rabbis, and produced it as a print titled, " Our Rabbi Ekiva Eger z"l, when he was 74 years of age in a street in the city of Posen, accompanied by two rabbinic judges of the city, R. Jacob Kalvary and R. Moshe Landsberg z"l.

The portrait of R. Akiva Eiger standing alone that we are more familiar with today, was printed as lithographs already in his lifetime, published by Simon Fils in Strasbourg.

Lithograph of portrait of R. Akiva Eger published by Simon Fils in Strasbourg.

R. Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer (1762-1839)

Portrait of the Chatam Sofer, based on the drawing by his talmid Rabbi Yissachar Ber Frank

R. Rabbi Yissachar Ber Frank was a close talmid of the Chatam Sofer and a scribe and trustee of the Jewish Community of Pressburg. When. R. Yissachar Ber's daughter reached marriageable age, he was unable to come up with the funds to marry her off. Preferring to avoid charity, he drew a likeness of his Rebbe, the Chatam Sofer and made prints based on his own drawing which he sold off to cover the marriage costs. It is said that when the Chatam Sofer discovered that his portrait was being sold, he summoned R. Ber and rebuked him for painting his likeness and distributing it without his permission, telling him  "You did not want to show your face so you showed mine instead?".

recently surfaced portrait of the Chatam Sofer

Recently, a second portrait of the Chatam Sofer surfaced, created by the artist Josef Edward August von Gillern (1794-1845). This portrait was in the hands of a family descendant from the Chatam Sofer and the family's tradition is that this bears a true likeness of the Chatam Sofer.

Rambam (1135-1204)

The Rambam's portrait in Thesaurus Antiquitatum Sacrarum

A more recent artist's rendition of the Rambam's portrait

Though we can all bring to mind the famous portrait of the Rambam, Moses Maimonides, where did the portrait originate? The source of this now classic portrait is surprisingly, a non-Jewish work, Thesaurus Antiquitatum Sacrarum (1744-69), a 34 volume Encyclopedia written in Latin. The author of this work states that he obtained the portrait from an old tablet, but not giving any additional information. This portrait was later "discovered" by the Italian Rabbi Isacco Samuele Reggio, 1784-1855 who sent it to a German friend named Solomon Stern who went on to print it and disseminate it. By the early 1900s, this portrait was popularized with appearances in Haggadot, Sukkah Decorations and on the cover of a popular Mahberet, used by numerous school children in the early 1900s

Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760)

Though no authentic portrait of the Baal Shem Tov exists, a portrait of another 18th century Rabbi has long been confused as being of the Baal Shem Tov's. The familiar portrait of the founder of Hasidut, is actually a portrait of the Baal Shem of London, Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk (1708-1782). The Baal Shem of London was an enigmatic figure, a Rabbi, Alchemist and Kabbalist, he was revered widely as a miracle worker. The portrait of his that we have has traditionally been ascribed to the artist John Singleton Copley. In the original portrait, formerly owned by the Anglo-Jewish scholar Cecil Roth,  the Baal Shem is seen in Eastern style clothing and holding a compass, something that would have been very out of place in a portrait of the Baal Shem Tov, but more expected in one of the Baal Shem of London. The portrait got confused early on with the "other" Baal Shem, and the portrait can now be found on numerous biographies, illustrations, postage stamps, postcards and the like being passed off as R. Israel Baal Shem.

The Vilna Gaon (1729-1797)

Of the Vilna Gaon, only one portrait from his lifetime is known, estimated to have been made ca. 1750-1755.

The only contemporary portrait of the Vilna Gaon

This illustration slowly evolved, with different artists adding details to the portrait, adding tefillin to the Gaon's head, alternating between different attire and leading us to the more familiar portrait that is common today.

An "updated" version of the Vilna Gaon's portrait

Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz (1690/95-1764)

engraving produced by Dr Elimelech Pulda (or Pulder) of R. Jonathan Eybeschuetz'

Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz's portrait that we are familiar with today, is based on an engraving produced by Dr Elimelech Pulda (or Pulder). R. Yaakov Emden, R. Eybeshutz's archenemy writes that the followers of R. Jonathan Eybeschuetz created their rabbi's portrait, in order to kiss and hug it, and went as far as to accuse one of R. Jonathan Eybeschutz's followers of placing a portrait of R. Eybeschuetz in the Aron Kodesh. Setting aside these accusations, R. Jonathan Eybeschutz's portrait was often reproduced in etchings and engravings already during his lifetime and was revered by many of his followers as an amulet.

Rabbi Yehuda Aszod (1796–1866)

Rabbi Yehuda Aszod was of the most revered Rabbis in Hungary, a close friend of the Chatam Sofer and leader of Hungarian Orthodoxy. Despite R. Aszod's known opposition to his photograph being taken, his students or perhaps members of the community were keen on obtaining a photograph of their beloved rabbi, after his passing in 1866. During the funeral, R. Aszod was dressed in his Shabbat clothing and a large sefer was placed in his hands. He was then propped up in his chair and a photograph was taken and was quickly reproduced and disseminated (Post-mortem portraits were an accepted practice in the 19th century). Contemporary accounts state that the money received from sale of this photograph was used to help marry off R. Aszod's daughters. There are accounts that say that all those involved in arranging and taking of this photograph were punished and all died within a year of R. Aszod's passing.

R. Hezekiah da Silva, the Peri Hadash (1659-1698)

The Peri Hadash, R. Hezekiah da Silva was born in Livorno, Italy in 1659. In 1691, he was in Amsterdam, for the purpose of printing his sefer, the Peri Hadash on Yoreh Deah. During his period in Amsterdam, the community offered him the position of Rabbi of the city, and as a token of appreciation and admiration, commissioned his portrait. The portrait shows the Peri Hadash dressed in the manner of a Turkish Jew, with a Kaveze on his head and wearing a fur-trimmed coat. In the 19th century, a reproduction was made of this portrait with an inscription stating that one must bless Shehechiyanu for seeing an illustration of the Peri Hadash.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya (1745-1813)

The portrait that we are today familiar with of the founder of the Chabad Hasidism, R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, first surfaced in the late 19th century. Within Chabad, there is a tradition that this illustration is authentic and bears a true likeness of the Ba'al Hatanya. Others maintain that this portrait was the work of the famed artist Boris Schatz, who drew the painting approximately in 1887. Boris Schatz is said to have used several descendants of the Ba'al Hatanya as models for his portrait, in his attempt to achieve as close as possible of a resemblance to what the Ba'al Hatanya actually looked like.

a very partial list of Sources:
Rabbi Akiva Eiger: Jewish Icons: Art and Society in Modern Europe by Richard I. Cohen

Chatam Sofer: אגרות סופרים, pp. 27-28, in the note; The history and novellae of Rabbi Menachem Katz Prostich, Part 1, p. 9

Rambam: On that famous picture of the Rambam by Shimon Steinmentz

Baal Shem Tov: The Ba'al Shem of London and the Philosopher's Stone: his portrait still isn't the Ba'al Shem Tov's by Shimon Steinmentz

Vilna Gaon: אדרת אליהו : הגאון מווילנה־־דמותו והשפעתו , Tel Aviv : Bet ha-tefutsot ʻal shem Naḥum Goldman, 1998

Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz: See Megillat Sefer of R. Yaakov Emden page 208, and https://www.lbi.org/artcatalog/record/3357206

Rabbi Yehuda Aszod : Jewish Icons: Art and Society in Modern Europe by Richard I. Cohen

R. Hezekiah da Silva, the Peri Hadash: Jewish Icons: Art and Society in Modern Europe by Richard I. Cohen page 143

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi: Between hagiography and historiography: Chabad, scholars of Hasidism, and the case of the portrait of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liady by Wojciech Tworek

With thanks to the following people who assisted me with the writing of this article: Shimon Steinmetz, Yitzchak Strohe, Menachem Silber, Zalman Alpert, Ovadia Hoffman and Philip Steiglitz