Large embroidered needlepoint designed by Yankel Ginzburg
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 123.875 inches (314.643 cm) | Width: 177.750 inches (451.485 cm)
Creator(s)
- Yankel Ginzburg (Designer)
- Yankel Ginzburg (Artist)
Archival History
The embroidered needlework was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1987 by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Bicentennial Commission of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington, D.C., Aaron Goldman, Chairman
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Colorful, embroidered wall hanging created by Yankel Ginzburg for the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington in 1976. The three-panel image was designed by Ginzburg and then executed in needlepoint by sixty-one artisans, 60 women and one man, between 1976 and 1986. The design is intended to symbolize the Jewish people's arduous journey to freedom.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Embroidered needlepoint wall hanging, stitched primarily in yellow, orange, and blue wool yarn, on a brown, double needlepoint, Penelope, cotton canvas measuring ten to the inch. It is composed of six narrower, vertical segments sewn together to form three visual panels. The central panel is depicted in orange tones with red, green, purple, white, and yellow highlights. Several key design elements are highlighted, including five ladders near the top, rising from the geometric orange shapes of the background, and many Hebrew characters scattered across the center. The left and right panels are separated from the center by vertical, white bands. They are embroidered mostly in blue tones with green, white, and purple line details, some curved and others wavy. The designer's name is embroidered in orange yarn at the bottom of the center panel. The canvas is stretched and slightly misshapen from use, and there are several small tears.
Subjects
- Washington (D.C.)
Genre
- Decorative Arts
- Object
- Embroidery.