24" X 24"
Click on the Face for a close up image.
Biblical Scholars offer varying opinions about Huldah. She may have been a scholar, librarian, teacher, or Prophetess. What does appear clear is that when the 18-year-old king Josiah, started repairs on the temple in about 622 BC, a segment of scroll was discovered which foretold of God's anger that the people of Judah had forsaken him.
Unhappy with this interpretation, King Josiah sent his staff to Huldah as she had access to the complete and unaltered documents. She confirmed the scrolls as the law of God and instructed the men to tell Josiah that God's mercy was still attainable.
The Scroll that Huldah translated would have outlined God's anger towards the people of Judah . I chose instead to jump ahead a few verses and focus instead on Huldah's message to King Josiah. The Hebrew text on the scroll can be translated to read:
And Huldah said to them, 'Tell Josiah, king of Judah , "Thus says the Lord God of Israel , because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord I truly have heard you."
The king used her information to take a stand in his nation and make changes so they would be following the laws of God.
Creating this piece has been an adventure. Not much is written about biblical women in general. Tracking down details was a challenge. What type of clothing was? Did a Jewish woman 600 years before Christ, wear head coverings when inside a building? Would they have used candles or lamps? What would the scroll have looked like? What language would it have been written in, and does it read right to left, or left to right?
In the end, many of the answers were available, others were not. I draped my 14 year old son in fabric and posed him at the kitchen table. Paper towel rolls filled in for the scrolls so I could experiment with what might have been a comfortable position for her hands.
Four people assisted me with the text. Finally I was rescued by a friend who took the text to her Rabbi. It's amazing how Hebrew grammar and spelling have changed over the last 2600 years.
I created Huldah using a reverse machine appliqué technique, creating first the cotton skin and fabric tones. Commercial and Hand painted tulle was added later to give additional depth to the features. The head covering creates a three dimensional frame for her face. The scroll itself is not sewn down other than on the letters of the text. The quilting on the hand dyed background fabric attempts to duplicate the stone building materials that may have been used in Huldah's time.
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