A set of 12 prints depicting the biblical scene when Jacob blesses his sons on his deathbed have been sold at Christie’s for £82,250.
The Jerusalem Windows (Douze Maquettes de Vitraux pour Jérusalem) were originally designed by Marc Chagall in 1962 for the synagogue attached to the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Centre, Israel’s first hospital.
It was Chagall’s first stained glass work. The designs were later turned into the set of lithographs by Charles Sorlier.
The prints had been expected to fetch between £50,000 and £70,000 at Thursday’s auction, but were sold to an unknown buyer for the higher price.
The windows depict the decisive moment in Genesis when Jacob provides each of his 12 sons with a blessing in accordance with their character.
One by one the sons are shown a vision of their descendants and the future contributions they will make to Israel.