Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 28 works by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim in our catalogue
In short
Marriage Portrait of Charlotte de Rothschild (1836) is the Moritz Daniel Oppenheim painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. After it, the eye goes to The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen) (1869) and The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang) (1866). Among the 28 works of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim in our catalog, these 24 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
A young woman sits poised in a moment of quiet grace, her presence filling the space with a serene, romantic light. She is draped in voluminous white and silver sleeves that catch the soft, directional light, creating a play of shadows across the delicate folds of her gown. Her skin glows with a luminous quality, contrasting against the deep, lush greens of the fruit tree behind her. A warm gold…
A small hand reaches out to grasp the cold, metallic finials of a Torah binder. This object, sewn from strips of swaddling cloth used during circumcision, carries the weight of a child's name and a family's hope. Within the grand hall of the synagogue, the air feels heavy with the grey and black tones of an oil painting that captures a singular moment of transition. A father leans toward his…
Step closer and observe the quietude within this room. We find ourselves in a domestic space, a dining room caught in that delicate, flickering moment between the sacred rest of the Sabbath and the return to the labors of the week. The scene is centered upon a man lighting candles, a gesture that marks the havdalah ceremony. Around him, a multigenerational family and a Talmud student are gathered, their presence…
Moritz Daniel Oppenheim's "The Examination," painted in 1868, is more than just a domestic scene; it’s a poignant window into the heart of 19th-century Jewish family life. This intimate portrait, rendered with remarkable sensitivity and detail, captures a moment of quiet contemplation within a warmly lit living space – a space that speaks volumes about tradition, education, and familial bonds. The painting immediately draws the viewer in, not with grand…
A young woman is seated at a desk in this 1825 oil portrait. She is positioned slightly off-center, facing the viewer with a calm, steady expression. Her upper body and hands are the primary focus of this medium shot, captured at eye level. She wears a gown of a deep burgundy hue, the fabric appearing smooth and lustrous under the light. The sleeves and folds of the garment suggest a…
The Marriage Portrait of Charlotte von Rothschild is an oil on canvas painted by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim in 1836. The sitter is Charlotte von Rothschild, a German-born British socialite. She was a member of the Rothschild banking family of Naples. The portrait captures her at a moment of significant transition, marked by her family's prominent standing.
The Portrait of Kalmann Meyer Carl von Rothschild is an oil painting by the German artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim. Created about 1851, this work captures a man of significant standing. Oppenheim was commissioned to paint several portraits of prominent members of the Rothschild banking dynasty, documenting their presence through the lens of mid-nineteenth-century realism.
This work is the Portrait of Adolph Carl von Rothschild, a formal depiction rendered by the German painter Moritz Daniel Oppenheim. Created about 1850, the portrait captures Baron Adolph Carl von Rothschild, a prominent figure within the influential Rothschild banking dynasty. The sitter's presence is marked by a quiet, dignified gravity that reflects his status during the mid-nineteenth century.
The oil on canvas titled Sabbath Rest, also known as Sabbath-Ruhe auf der Gasse, was painted in 1866. This work belongs to the hand of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, an artist born in 1800 in Hanau, Germany. He lived until 1882 in Frankfurt, Germany. The painting captures a specific moment of stillness, a pause in the rhythm of daily life.
A quiet domesticity defines this 1880 scene, where a Jewish family gathers to observe the Hanukkah ritual. The composition utilizes a deep perspective, drawing the eye from the foreground figures through an open doorway into a secondary room where others sit in repose. Soft, directional light enters from the left, casting gentle shadows that define the heavy drapery and the textures of period clothing. The palette is muted and monochromatic,…
Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest)1880
12
The Bar Mitzvah Discourse (Bar-Mizwa-Vortag)1869 · The Jewish Museum
13
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) (Das Laubhütten-Fest)1867 · The Jewish Museum
14
The Godfather Awaits the Child (Der Gevatter erwartet das Kind)1867 · The Jewish Museum
15
The Elector of Hesse Entrusting Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743–1812), with His TreasureAscott House
16
The Return of the Volunteer from the Wars of Liberation to His Family Still Living in Accordance with Old Customs (Die Heimkehr des Freiwilligen aus den Befreiungskriegen zu den nach alter Sitte lebenden Seinen)1834 · The Jewish Museum
17
The Wedding (Die Trauung)1866 · The Jewish Museum
18
Portrait of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel1842 · The Jewish Museum
19
Lionel Nathan de Rothschild1835 · National Portrait Gallery
20
Self-Portrait1814 · The Jewish Museum
21
Seder (The Passover Meal) (Der Oster-Abend)1867
22
The Return of the Volunteer from the Wars of Liberation to His Family Still Living in Accordance with Old Customs (Die Heimkehr des Freiwilligen aus den Befreiungskriegen zu den nach alter Sitte lebenden Seinen)1833 · The Jewish Museum
23
Purim (Feast of Esther) (Das Purim-Fest)1873 · The Jewish Museum
24
Lavater and Lessing Visit Moses Mendelssohn1856
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
#14 The Godfather Awaits the Child (Der Gevatter erwartet das Kind)
#16 The Return of the Volunteer from the Wars of Liberation to His Family Still Living in Accordance with Old Customs (Die Heimkehr des Freiwilligen aus den Befreiungskriegen zu den nach alter Sitte lebenden Seinen)
#22 The Return of the Volunteer from the Wars of Liberation to His Family Still Living in Accordance with Old Customs (Die Heimkehr des Freiwilligen aus den Befreiungskriegen zu den nach alter Sitte lebenden Seinen)
The 4 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 The Jewish Museum |
New York City | 12 | The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen), The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang), The Examination (Das Verhören) |
 Israel Museum |
Jerusalem | 6 | Marriage Portrait of Charlotte de Rothschild, Portrait of a Young Woman at her Desk, Marriage Portrait of Charlotte von Rothschild |
 Ascott House |
Leighton Buzzard | 1 | The Elector of Hesse Entrusting Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743–1812), with His Treasure |
 National Portrait Gallery |
London | 1 | Lionel Nathan de Rothschild |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In the quiet intensity of his 1814 Self-Portrait, we encounter more than just the likeness of a young man; we witness the dawn of a profound artistic identity. Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, a figure who would later become a pioneer of Jewish artistic representation in Germany, presents himself here with a striking blend of youthful ambition and classical poise. Holding his palette with a sense of quiet pride, the artist positions…
A young woman is seated at a desk in this 1825 oil portrait. She is positioned slightly off-center, facing the viewer with a calm, steady expression. Her upper body and hands are the primary focus of this medium shot, captured at eye level. She wears a gown of a deep burgundy hue, the fabric appearing smooth and lustrous under the light. The sleeves and folds of the garment suggest a…
A young woman sits poised in a moment of quiet grace, her presence filling the space with a serene, romantic light. She is draped in voluminous white and silver sleeves that catch the soft, directional light, creating a play of shadows across the delicate folds of her gown. Her skin glows with a luminous quality, contrasting against the deep, lush greens of the fruit tree behind her. A warm gold…
In the quiet intimacy of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim’s 1842 masterpiece, Portrait of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, we encounter more than a mere likeness; we enter a profound dialogue between light and identity. As a pivotal figure in the Romantic era, Fanny Hensel—the brilliant musical force and sister to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy—is rendered here with a dignity that transcends the boundaries of a traditional portrait. Oppenheim, a pioneer in documenting the nuances of…
The Portrait of Kalmann Meyer Carl von Rothschild is an oil painting by the German artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim. Created about 1851, this work captures a man of significant standing. Oppenheim was commissioned to paint several portraits of prominent members of the Rothschild banking dynasty, documenting their presence through the lens of mid-nineteenth-century realism.
A small hand reaches out to grasp the cold, metallic finials of a Torah binder. This object, sewn from strips of swaddling cloth used during circumcision, carries the weight of a child's name and a family's hope. Within the grand hall of the synagogue, the air feels heavy with the grey and black tones of an oil painting that captures a singular moment of transition. A father leans toward his…
The oil on canvas painting titled Purim (Feast of Esther) (Das Purim-Fest) was executed by the artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim in 1873. This work belongs to a series of paintings by the artist titled "Scenes from Traditional Jewish Family Life." The composition focuses on a specific historical and religious commemoration regarding Queen Esther's triumph in saving the Jews of ancient Persia from annihilation.
A quiet domesticity defines this 1880 scene, where a Jewish family gathers to observe the Hanukkah ritual. The composition utilizes a deep perspective, drawing the eye from the foreground figures through an open doorway into a secondary room where others sit in repose. Soft, directional light enters from the left, casting gentle shadows that define the heavy drapery and the textures of period clothing. The palette is muted and monochromatic,…
Marriage Portrait of Charlotte de Rothschild (1836), Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen) (1869) and The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang) (1866) come next.
36 years old: Marriage Portrait of Charlotte de Rothschild dates from 1836, and Moritz Daniel Oppenheim was born in 1800.
Marriage Portrait of Charlotte de Rothschild, The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen), The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang), The Examination (Das Verhören), Portrait of a Young Woman at her Desk, Marriage Portrait of Charlotte von Rothschild, Portrait of Kalmann Meyer Carl von Rothschild, Portrait of Adolph Carl von Rothschild, Sabbath Rest and The Kindling of the Hanukkah Lights. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 28 works by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, dated from 1814 to 1880.
Mostly in The Jewish Museum (New York City), Israel Museum (Jerusalem) and Ascott House (Leighton Buzzard). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1860s: 9 of the 24 works on this page were made then, The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen) among them.
On this page, the earliest is Self-Portrait (1814) and the latest The Kindling of the Hanukkah Lights (1880).
Woman (5), Man (5) and Jewish family life (3), across the 24 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 13 of the 24 works on this page.
Romanticism, judging by the originals on this page.
The Presentation at the Synagogue (Das Schultragen), The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang) and The Examination (Das Verhören): the The Jewish Museum, New York City holds 12 of the works on this page.
Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882) stands as a singular figure in the annals of German art history, serving as a profound pioneer of Jewish artistic representation. Born in Hanau, Germany, his life and work were deeply rooted in a commitment to documenting and celebrating the nuances of Jewish life and culture during the transformative nineteenth century. He was often hailed as the first Jewish painter to achieve widespread recognition within the mainstream artistic landscape, moving beyond mere biographical detail to create an oeuvre that embodies a vital visual record of a community navigating the complexities of modernization while striving to preserve its sacred traditions.
Oppenheim's artistic journey began with foundational training under Conrad Westermayr in his birthplace, where he first absorbed the principles of German Romantic painting. However, his true professional ascent was catalyzed by his enrollment at the Munich Academy of Arts at the age of seventeen. It was within these prestigious halls that he honed his technical mastery alongside contemporaries such as Wilhelm Leibl and Johann Baptist Eberhard Krauss. Seeking to expand his horizons, Oppenheim embarked on a transformative period of study abroad, traveling to Paris to study under Jean-Baptiste Regnault and later to Rome. In Italy, mentored by luminaries like Bertel Thorwaldsen and the Nazarene painter Johann Friedrich Overbeck, his style evolved into a sophisticated blend of meticulous observation and classical influence. This Roman period was particularly pivotal, as it infused his work with a sense of historical gravity that would later inform his depictions of Jewish rituals and daily life.
The heart of Oppenheim’s contribution to art lies in his ability to transform the domestic sphere into a stage for profound cultural narrative. His paintings often focus on intimate scenes of Jewish family life, capturing the quiet dignity of ritual and the warmth of communal bonds. Through his brush, the mundane becomes monumental. In works such as The Conclusion of the Sabbath (Sabbath-Ausgang), he employs masterful realism and subtle symbolism to depict the poignant transition from the sacred rest of the Sabbath back into the temporal world, inviting the viewer to witness the sanctity of family ritual.
His ability to weave historical context with personal emotion is perhaps most evident in his genre paintings that document specific cultural milestones. For instance:
Beyond his technical skill, Oppenheim’s work is inextricably linked to the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement—a scholarly effort to establish Jewish history and culture as a respected academic field. His paintings functioned as visual scholarship, providing a dignified and authentic representation of a community that was often marginalized in the broader European art canon. By portraying Jewish subjects with the same level of detail, dignity, and Romantic grandeur typically reserved for aristocratic or mythological themes, he challenged existing prejudices and asserted the importance of Jewish identity within the German cultural fabric.
Ultimately, the legacy of Moritz Daniel Oppenheim is one of resilience and visibility. He did not merely paint scenes; he constructed a visual language for an era of transition. His ability to capture the delicate balance between the old world and the new ensures that his work remains a vital touchstone for understanding the nineteenth-century Jewish experience, making him an indispensable figure in the history of both German Romanticism and the global narrative of Jewish art.
