Sir Moses Montifiore
Dimensions:74cm x 68cm
Media:Oil on Canvas
Commenting on her work, Beverley-Jane said, “Moses Montefiore was a committed Jew and Englishman who served with both valour and determination. He made an outstanding contribution to British and Jewish communities in the nineteenth century and I felt compelled to paint a work that reflects his life and legacy.”
Born in 1784, Montefiore lived as an English aristocrat but retained his Jewish identity, demonstrated by his ‘coat-of-arms’ at the base of Beverley-Jane’s painting. He made his fortune as a stockbroker and worked closely with his brother-in-law, Nathan Rothschild, a successful banker. An active and successful financier and philanthropist, Montefiore died at his country home in Ramsgate, Kent, at the age of 101 years.
In the centre of the painting a Victorian service is taking place in Montefiore’s privately owned Ramsgate synagogue. Either side of this image is a modern scene of the Montefiore mausoleum and the now Montefiore Park which echoes shadows of the demolished Montefiore Mansion. In the distance, the small figure of the young Queen Victoria plays in the grounds. She became a close admirer of Moses due to his kindness when she was convalescing as a child in Ramsgate. Later she rewards this friendship by honouring him with a baronetcy. This central image is surrounded by a global image of the world with Montefiore travelling either by his specially designed coach or by ship. He consistently journeyed through dangerous countries to expand his business ventures and his quest to help persecuted Jews.
The surrounding edges of the painting, in dark tones, show scenes of Victorian London, demonstrating trading in the city, the stock exchange, Moses’ London residential home and his London based synagogue, Bevis Marks. These same scenes, with a vibrancy of colour, are then contrasted to reflect the present day.
At the bottom right are a group of portraits, including his constant companion, Judith as his young wife, and a series of three portraits showing Moses as bold military citizen (between 1809 -1814 he was captain inthe surrey army) to his distinguished old age.
In the opposite corner is the famous Windmill, which at great expense was designed, built and transported from England in Kent, to Palestine, to help the community become self-sufficient. Connected to the windmill are arms houses, which were built to provide shelter and medical assistance. These early buildings became the first Jewish establishments to exist outside the Jerusalem walls.