Photo of the "Baba Sali" – Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira – Enclosed within Folk-Art Frame of Glass and Tin

Photo of the "Baba Sali" – Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira – Enclosed within Folk-Art Frame of Glass and Tin
Photograph of Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira with his wife (?) and nephew, Aharon Abuhatzeira. Israel, [1970s and 1980s].
Photograph; glass; tin (from repurposed tin cans).
Photograph shows the "Baba Sali" – Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira, his wife (?), and his nephew (son of his brother, known as the "Baba Haki"), the former Member of Knesset and government minister, Aharon Abuhatzeira.
Photograph enclosed within handmade folk-art frame consisting of panes of glass held together by strips of tin forming decorative "windows," themselves adorned with thin plates made of tin originating from cans of orange soda, tomato paste, and beer. Frame surmounted at either end by two pairs of gilt cones – in each pair, one cone inverted over other. In between pairs of cones, large glass triangle, surmounted by two small hemispheres, tilting forward so as to shade photograph. Suspension loop.
A number of folk-art works are known from Morocco, which, similar to the present work, are made from repurposed tin cans. In particular, the Israel Museum Collection includes a Hanukkah lamp from Mazagan, Morocco, made from sardine cans by the craftsman Meir Ben Ami.
Height: 26 cm. Width: 23 cm. Good condition. Rust. Old soldering repairs.
Reference: North African Lights, items nos. 79, 81.