The Case of Moshe Oved

Peer-reviewed article, Submitted 1.06.2025, Accepted 30.10.2025

Agata Lipczik

a.lipczik@gmail.com
Instytut Sztuki PAN (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7433-456X

Abstract

An attempt to characterise the artistic output of Moshe Oved (1885–1958). Born in the then Płock Governorate, this renowned antiquarian was one of the key figures within the artistic community of the Jewish population in London during the first half of the 20th century. Known primarily as a specialist in antique jewellery, he actively participated throughout most of his life in initiatives promoting the work of Jewish artists and was one of the co-founders and later the most active members of the Ben Uri society. In addition to intensive efforts to develop Yiddish culture, Moshe Oved first gained recognition as a poet and subsequently as an artist. His earliest works were jewellery pieces: stylised rings in zoomorphic forms, often adorned with engraved inscriptions of a poetic nature. After the war, Oved also created distinctive sculptures that clearly referred to Jewish mysticism and sometimes, as in the case of a series of six-branched candelabra, served to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. The article highlights the parallel nature of Oved’s sculptural and literary work, whose common denominator was his deep, internal spiritual experience.

Supporting Agencies

The article is the result of a project carried out as part of a scholarship from the Lanckoroński Foundation of Brzezie.


Keywords:

Moshe Oved, Yiddish, sculpture, jewellery, Cameo Corner

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Published
2025-12-17

Cited by

Lipczik, A. (2025) “The Case of Moshe Oved”, Konteksty, 350(3), pp. 211–218. doi: 10.36744/k.4493.

Authors

Agata Lipczik 
a.lipczik@gmail.com
Instytut Sztuki PAN Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7433-456X

Agata Lipczik – historyczka sztuki, doktorka nauk humanistycznych, adiunktka w Pracowni Rzemiosła Artystycznego i Designu IS PAN. Zajmuje się badaniami nad polską sztuką użytkową XIX i 1. połowy XX wieku, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem biżuterii. Opublikowała książkę Jubilerstwo w międzywojennej Warszawie. Rzemiosło – ludzie – biżuteria (2021).



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