Portrait of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Tzemach Tzedek - Lithograph - Vilnius, 1886

Portrait of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Tzemach Tzedek - Lithograph - Vilnius, 1886
"LeZecher Olam Yiheye Tzaddik! Picture of the Rabbi, Tzaddik and Gaon, R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch". Lithograph. [Vilnius: N. Metz, 1886].
In the picture, the Rebbe is portrayed in his home, on the background of his library, dressed in white Shabbat garments. A book rests on his knees with his eyeglasses on it. Captions below the portrait: "LeZecher Olam Yiheye Tzaddik! Picture of the Rabbi, Tzaddik and Gaon, R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch of blessed memory" and (in Russian) "Portrait of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Mendel Schneerson".
The portrait was drawn after an oil painting made in the Tzemach Tzedek's old age. In issue 96 of the periodical "Di Yidishe Heym" (p. 15), it is described: "An unknown non-Jewish painter, wished to paint the portrait of the Tzemach Tzedek, however, knowing that he will not be able to do so in the regular manner - as the Tzemach Tzedek will not agree - he had an idea: He came on a Saturday to the Tzemach Tzedek and looked at him closely, memorizing his holy face. In order to retain the moment in his memory, the painter hurried home, with his eyes almost closed, and as soon as he arrived he took his painting tools and started to draw what he saw - on canvas. Later, when the Tzemach Tzedek saw the painting, he was very upset about it, since it was painted on Shabbat (the Tzemach Tzedek is portrayed in his Shabbat garments), but was somewhat comforted since the painter made several mistakes: (a) The gentile painter painted the overcoat of the Tzemach Tzedek with the left side closed over the right side - as worn by non-Jews, whereas Jews do the opposite, with the right over the left. (b) The Tzemach Tzedek is seen holding a book. While holy books are written and read from right to left, and this is the way they are opened - to the right, the gentile painter drew the book like the books of gentiles - opened to the left".
This painting was used as a source for numerous prints. This lithograph is the first print known to have been created after the painting. In later prints the plate was reversed, so as to portray the book as opening to the right and the right side of the overcoat closed over the left side.
24X36 cm. Damaged copy. Margins trimmed, scarcely affecting the lithograph, but removing the imprint. Stains, damage and wear. Mounted on cardboard for restoration.
Literature: Shalom Dovber Levine, Treasures from the Chabad Library, Brooklyn, 2009, pp. 257-262.