Rosenberg, Samuel (American/Pittsburgh, 1896-1972), Israel, 1945, oil on masonite, signed lower right, 29.25 x 24.5 inches, in a carved wood frame 43 x 37.5 inches. Barbara Jones notes in her monograph of Rosenberg that his technique in this painting "gives the painting a depth that allows the viewer to look deep inside the sitter, as if to reveal an inner truth." Contemporary reviewers called the painting a personification of "the whole heritage of sorrow and tribulation that is associated with Israel," and that the central figure represents "the link between man, the greater universe and its Creator." Provenance: Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, exhibited "Painting in the United States, 1945" where it was awarded First Honorable Mention for Painting and subsequently purchased by the museum, then by private collection. JONES 74.