Meditative Rabbi with atmospheric background. Oil on canvas.

Gottlieb (1856-79) a Polish painter of repute, studied in Poland and Austria. His major painting, Jews Praying on the Day of Atonement, which incorporates a self-portrait, is considered an “indisputable masterpiece.” (EJ VII col.827). The image of a contemplative figure leaning on his/her hand (as seen here) is seen throughout Gottlieb’s oeuvre. See Tel Aviv Museum of Art Catalogue, In the Flower of Youth: Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879 (1991) pp.116,117, 152 and 159