The Botanist's Brush: Shmuel Charuvi's Drawings for the Hareuveni Floral Treasury of the Land of Israel

25cm X 27.5cm / 9.8" X 10.8"

Hardcover; 124 pages

Hebrew and English

Between 1923 and 1927, the painter Shmuel Charuvi worked for the botanist Ephraim Hareuveni, producing exquisite drawings for a planned botanical encyclopedia of the Land of Israel. Under the guidance of Ephraim and his wife, Hannah, Charuvi reproduced the land s plant life, demonstrating a technique perhaps unparalleled among the artists of his generation and penetrating powers of observation. Although the treasury never saw the light of day, more than 35 watercolors were preserved intact by the Hareuveni family. Their discovery and the recognition of their exceptional artistic quality led to the decision to present them to the public, along with documents and photographs from the Hareuveni estate that shed light on this fascinating artistic, scientific, and cultural endeavor.

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem is among the world's most highly rated encyclopedic museums. It holds the biggest collection of ancient Israel and Bible Lands antiquities on the planet, and is home to groundbreaking archaeological discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The museum creates replicas and adaptations of Jewish and Israeli artifacts from around the world; these rare pieces make wonderful gifts.