Decorative painting (murals) on the sanctuary’s eastern wall

MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK from 1948 is currently hidden behind two coats of paint in our sanctuary. However, it is the intent of our most preservation-oriented member that those decorations be uncovered in a future restoration effort. In the meantime, let’s take care not to damage them further!

Detail from underneath the Decalogue frieze, as seen in a 1948 photo
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This post recaps what is known from the 2003 Historic Structure Report (HSR) and from old photographs. Let’s start with the photos.…

Two photos of the Bimah area seem to date from around the time that our sanctuary building was dedicated in 1948. Above the bimah opening, at the top of both photos is a set of five painted decorations that have since been painted over. And at the margins to either side, extending horizontally outward from the proscenium arch, we get a glimpse of scenic murals. They, too, are not currently visible to us. 

The two photos show somewhat different features — which poses a bit of a puzzle.… The first one appears to show the dedication ceremony (and it is identified as such in the HSR). I say this because a couple of donor-tribute signs are visible that seem to be temporary in nature. Also the ark does not have a curtain in front of it (as we have today). Yet the inscription above the ark is the same one that we see today.

In the second photo, both sides of the proscenium arch feature a painted vertical decoration, which did not appear in the other photo. Also the ark is covered with a curtain (the same one that still hangs there today), and it is surmounted by a dedication plaque and a smooth horizontal span. Because it seems unlikely that the vertical decorations would have already been painted over in the other photo, I am inclined to view this photo as slightly more recent. (So the smooth span over the ark was later taken down, to reveal the earlier golden inscription?)

Decorative Arts Investigation

The 2003 Historic Structure Report (HSR) identifies the muralist as Kive Eisen and reports on the prospect of someday uncovering the artwork. (BTW, “Kive” is known as a pet name for Akiva or Yaakov.)

In the upper spaces to the left and right of the east wall, it was possible to remove the blue and white [paint] layers in order to uncover what is believed to be decorative murals. Because the temple is currently in use, it was requested that the cleaning tests be kept as small as possible. While it was immediately apparent that the murals are beneath, the small areas of the tests made it impossible to accurately assess the condition of the paint surface. …The paint surface appears to be somewhat "grainy" or rough. However, it is encouraging that when blue and white layers are dissolved with a minimum of friction, the paint medium of the mural layer remains intact. The medium was not analyzed but it is presumed to be oil.

According to the HSR, the partially obscured murals in our sanctuary are “significant examples of the decorative arts and character-defining features of the building.” I.e., they are an important aspect of our building’s historic character.

The HSR recommends the following Guidelines for Decorative Arts:

1. Significant decorative painting elements should be protected and stabilized to retard or prevent future deterioration, preferably left visible for display and interpretation, or documented if covered by reversible finishes.
2. The element shall be photo-documented and the location described precisely.
3. Surface dust shall be removed. Excess dirt and grease shall be removed only where necessary and only using gentle methods. General cleaning shall occur, if at all, after assessment and specification of methods and materials by a qualified art or materials conservator.

Furthermore, it recommended the following specific measures in our case:

After further tests, remove over-painting at the murals on the east wall of the sanctuary. Evaluate the conditions, and treat as appropriate (local consolidation, in-painting, toning at undocumented areas may be required).

However, according to the HSR, these measures are necessarily of a much lower priority than fixing the building’s water intrusion issues — which is why B&G has been focusing on the latter task for the time being.

Recent Activity

Within the past few weeks, some kind of (white) electronic device was installed on the wall, in a place where it presumably damaged the underlying artwork. (It is located only a foot or so to the left of the exposed portion of the mural from the 2003 test.) 😮