In its portrayal of a young rabbi lovingly holding the Torah, Carrying the Scrolls of the Law reflects the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, who sought to purify what they perceived to be the decadence of academic art by emulating an earlier Renaissance style. The rapt devotion of the rabbi, an idealized male beauty at a moment of religious sanctity, is comparable in spirit to other works by Simeon Solomon that convey his attraction to Christian ritual (such as Two Acolytes Censing above). Raised as an Orthodox Jew, Solomon grew up within the Jewish community of London’s East End. His long familiarity with Jewish religious ritual made the subject of this painting quite personal for him.
		Simeon Solomon (British, 1840-1905) Carrying the Scrolls of the Law, 1867 Watercolor and gouache, varnished The Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester