SOAPSTONE DESK SET. Cyprus, c. 1947.

Rectangular base with three sections at upper right, one containing brass-bound box; along lower right, carved depiction of rows of tents labelled in Hebrew “My Kibbutz.” The right section, slightly concave, serves a blotter holder. Mounted on brass base. Lid of box labelled, in Hebrew: “A souvenir of Cyprus.” W: 300mm.

Following the end of World War II, the British Mandatory Authority forcibly transferred “illegal” immigrants away from Palestine to detention camps in Cyprus, where they were held until the State of Israel declared independence.