'Egypt against the Jews' - Unique Chess Table Made of Silver and Belgian Marble, by the Artist Georges Weil. ...

'Egypt against the Jews' - Unique Chess Table Made of Silver and Belgian Marble, by the Artist Georges Weil. England, 1980

A unique, custom-made monumental work of a large chess table made of Belgian marble, decorated with verses from Megillat Kohelet chapter 3 and game pieces made of cast silver, in the form of Egyptians and Jews. 

עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ ועֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ. עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק. עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א. עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם.  (A time for seeking and a time for losing, A time for keeping and a time for discarding; A time for weeping and a time for laughing; A time for loving and a time for hating; A time for war and a time for peace). 

The table simulates an encounter between the Egyptians and the Jews. The game pieces are made of cast, hallmarked silver; each piece is in the form of an Egyptian or a Jew. The set was custom-made by Weil and it is a unique work of art. 

A most impressive item, a work of art and a classic game combined. 

Georges Weil was a talented, autodidact, most colorful artist. Collectors of Weil's works included Frank Sinatra, Sammy David Jr., Peter Sellers, Queen Elizabeth of England, and the Hollywood Queen - Elizabeth Taylor.

One art critic of the Illustrated London News, wishing to express his appreciation of Weil's work, went so far as to declare, “Fabergé objects, exquisite as they are, and superb as their workmanship is, are really no more than expensive toys – Weil’s pieces are works of art”.

Biography:

Weil was born in 1938 in Vienna and his family was one of the last to escape via Antwerp to London in 1939

Although not much is known of his early life, it is known that Weil briefly attended London’s St. Martins School of Art in 1956. He studied sculpturing and jewellery design, describing himself first as a sculptor and only then as a jewellery designer.

Sculptural flair can be seen in his jewellery designs which are modernist, abstract and asymmetrical. In 1960s and 70s jewellery, the single most important element was the overall stylistic impact of the piece and not the intrinsic value of the diverse elements used. Weil used precious stones, both cut and uncut. Silver and gold could be used together with diamonds and less valuable, inorganic or organic material such as pearls or wood.

In 1969, Weil made works for the Jean Renet Gallery, which opened on Bond St. and an exhibition of his works was held in 1971. Weil's works in this early period included bronze portrait-sculptures of David Ben-Gurion and Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle and the singer/actor Sammy Davis Jr.

Weil also began to create sculpture made of gold, silver and precious gems, jewelry as objects d’art, which earned him glowing press reviews that compared his work to that of Cellini and Fabergé. Many of Weil’s sculptures in precious metal depict distinctly Jewish themes.

Among his major projects was the creation in 1994 of a five-meter bronze sculpture of a man blowing a Shofar, installed at the entrance to Herzliya Pituach, near the beach where Holocaust survivors landed toward the end of the British Mandate, 1945-1948. A similar sculpture, made the following year, was installed at Gilelleje, Denmark, where Danish Jews were taken in boats to Sweden during the Nazi occupation of the country.

Weil is also considered the only Jewish Netsuke artist in history. He is the only foreigner invited to join the Art Carver Society of Japan.

His wide variety of works indicate that several themes interested Weil at different times. Jewry with its varied content is an especially central motif, as well as Jewish symbols, the circle of the year and the Holocaust.

 

Light paint peeling on the wooden frame. Overall condition very good.

משקל:

הכלים: כ-17 ק"ג

השולחן עם הפלטה: כ- 108 ק"ג. 

Provenance: The Bloch Family Collection, Melbourne-Australia.

Weight:	125 kg
Measurement:	72 x 72 cm
Measurement with frame:	41 cm