John Henry Amshewitz 1882-1942
The Wedding, 1925
etching on paper
26 x 26 cm
signed (lower right) 'J.H.Amshewitz'
1987-13
Photo: Bridgeman images
John Henry Amshewitz started to experiment with etching in 1924 and completely abandoned the medium after 1935. By that time, he had produced a total of twenty plates, Rembrandtesque in...
John Henry Amshewitz started to experiment with etching in 1924 and completely abandoned the medium after 1935. By that time, he had produced a total of twenty plates, Rembrandtesque in style and spirit, but also reflecting his sardonic sense of humour. ‘The Wedding’ is based on a Jewish myth that an unwed woman cannot enter Heaven. The artist's widow described the scene: the bride is 'the 'ugly, masculine-looking, crippled woman lying on her death-bed. Her brother, in his anxiety for her celestial welfare, has bribed an old passer-by to marry her and, together with an aged witness, they are standing at the bedside. The rabbi, holding a goblet of wine, has performed part of the ceremony, but as the ring is being placed on her finger, she drops back ... and does not gain paradise after all!' This etching was reproduced in ‘Fine Prints of the Year 1925’ and F. L. Emanuel's ‘Etching and Etchings’.