Hebrew Vase “Kabbalah”
Kabbalah, 2008
Poplar and Mahogony
3¾ inches diameter x 1½ inches height
Pyrography, Hebrew Script
Private Collection
This hollow vase is engraved with the Shemhamphorasch (also known as the 72-Letter Name of God), a symbolic pattern created by medieval kabbalists. There are actually 3 lines of 72 Hebrew characters in this pattern, and the number of symbolic meanings derived from this arrangement of characters is mind twisting.
The lettering is engraved by burning it into the poplar wood.
As with each piece in my Script series, I’m more interested in the abstract patterns created by the script than the meanings created by the source language.