Cleave to the Dust of Their Feet.

KLEINMAN, ZALMAN.

Russian-American, (1933-95)

Pen-and-ink and pastel. Silhouette edge. Unsigned. Framed.

Based on the verse from Ethics of our Fathers, “Let your house be a meeting place for the sages, cleave to the dust of their feet, and drink thirstily their words” (Avoth 1:4). This image was originally commissioned for use in the children’s school text-book Pirkei Avoth, Be’er Yehuda, but was later rejected due to the use of human faces and the commandment against graven images. Accompanied by documentation authenticating the artwork to have been executed by Kleinman.