Michael Lake
Head of Department
Lot 456
Adolf John (German 1858-1925): A carved 19th century boxwood figure of Saladin from 'Nathan the Wise'
19 January 2017, 14:00 GMT
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £475 inc. premium
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Adolf John (German 1858-1925): A carved 19th century boxwood figure of Saladin from 'Nathan the Wise'
the bearded figure clad in a turban and draped robe and cloak, on swept square integral plinth base, signed A JAHN, 50cm high
Footnotes
Nathan the Wise is a play published by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in Germany in 1779. The work was a metaphor and fervent plea of Lessing's desire for religious tolerance. Although forbidden by the church during the playwrights lifetime, it was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsches Theater (de) in Berlin.
Set in Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, it describes how the wise Jewish merchant Nathan, the enlightened sultan Saladin, and the (initially anonymous) Templar bridge their gaps between Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Its major themes are friendship, tolerance, relativism of God, a rejection of miracles and a need for communication.