Canopy

Object Name:

Canopy

Object ID:

2016.020

Creator:

Szainer, Armand H. (1914-1998)

Place of Origin:

Manchester, NH

Date:

1985

Description:

Chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy). Pieced and appliqued fabric. Made by Armand H. Szainer (1914-1998), Manchester, NH. Depicts a phoenix and gryphon holding the masks of comedy and tragedy above a menorah, framed by two columns and Hebrew texts on banners. The figures stand beneath two doves in flight holding a banner in their beaks, with the rising sun and a pair of open hands above. Hand and machine sewn in brown, green, and tan synthetic burlap on a blue cotton background. Holes in each of four corners reinforced with green corduroy for poles. Brown cotton tape edging on four sides. Blue cotton fabric backing.

Material:

Textile
Cotton
Burlap

Dimensions:

H-58 W-57 inches

Provenance:

The chuppah was made in 1985 by Armand H. Szainer for the wedding ceremony of Shelley Williams, the daughter of potter Gerry Williams, and David Gottlieb, the donor. The wedding took place at the home of Gerry Williams in Dunbarton, NH, on June 1, 1985. The masks of comedy and tragedy are included on the chuppah because the bride and groom were both working in the theater at the time.

Born in Poland and raised in Germany, Armand Szainer immigrated to Paris in 1933, where he began his art career designing store window displays and theater stage sets. He studied at the L'Acad�mie de la Grande Chaumi�re in Paris. Szainer was taken prisoner by the Nazis in 1940 and sent to a concentration camp in Germany, where he remained until 1945. He married Sylvia Kostmann (1912-1983) in 1947 and they immigrated to New Hampshire in 1951. Szainer studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, 1952-53, also working as a commercial artist and art teacher in Manchester. A founder of Studio Potter magazine, with Gerry Williams and Peter Sabin, Szainer served as art director of the magazine. He was also co-director of Phoenix Pottery Workshops.

Credit Line:

Gift of David Gottlieb

People:

Szainer, Armand H. (1914-1998)

Subjects:

Weddings, Canopies, Menorahs, Phoenix (Mythical bird), Gryphons, Doves, Masks, Hebrew language, Columns