Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917): The Life of a Confederate, Expatriate, Jewish Sculptor

FAIN: FEL-267717-20

Samantha Baskind
Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH 44115-2214)

Research and writing of a book on the life and work of the Jewish American sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917).

Largely forgotten today, sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917), a figure with a life story holding drama rivaling that recently brought to light about Alexander Hamilton, was the first Jewish American artist to earn international acclaim. This study will examine the influence of Ezekiel’s singular life on his sculpture, which is imbued with elements of both his Southern and Jewish roots as well as his expatriate experience in Italy. Reciprocally, Ezekiel’s life and art offer access to a range of political, cultural, social, and religious issues crucial to the 19th century and how they intersect with visual culture. These include the aftermath of the Civil War and post-Emancipation race relations, the Jewish American assimilation experience, and radical changes in the art world. Investigation of Ezekiel’s significant body of work addressing the Confederacy is closely tied to the current, very public, and fraught national debate on the place of Confederate monuments on American soil.

Associated Products

“Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Portrait Bust of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (1899)" (Article)
Title: “Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Portrait Bust of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (1899)"
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: Examination of Moses Jacob Ezekiel's portrait bust of what is most likely the first sculpture modeled from life of a rabbi by a Jewish artist.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://sites.americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/index.php?p=special
Access Model: Subscription and available online
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: American Jewish Archives Journal
Publisher: American Jewish Archives Journal

"Moses Jacob Ezekiel, Eve Hearing the Voice" (Article)
Title: "Moses Jacob Ezekiel, Eve Hearing the Voice"
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: A discussion of why Moses Jacob Ezekiel fashioned his sculpture of Eve without a navel.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://mavcor.yale.edu/mavcor-journal/object-narratives/moses-jacob-ezekiel-eve-hearing-voice
Access Model: open access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Mavcor Journal
Publisher: MAVCOR Journal

“An Enduring Monument: Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Religious Liberty (1876)” (Exhibition)
Title: “An Enduring Monument: Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Religious Liberty (1876)”
Curator: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: A visual exhibition for the National Museum of American Jewish History on Moses Jacob Ezekiel's monument to Religious Liberty.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/enduring-monument/

"The Jewish Sculptor of the Confederacy" (Article)
Title: "The Jewish Sculptor of the Confederacy"
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: An article about Moses Jacob Ezekiel's Confederate monuments in the mainstream press.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/stonewall-jackson-moses-jacob-ezekiel-vmi
Access Model: Open access
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: Tablet Magazine
Publisher: Tablet Magazine

"Which Statues Should Fall?” (Article)
Title: "Which Statues Should Fall?”
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: A discussion of Confederate monuments and why or why not they should be toppled, using Moses Jacob Ezekiel's sculptures as a case study. Written for a mainstream magazine.
Year: 2020
Access Model: Scubscription only
Format: Magazine
Publisher: Jewish Renaissance

"Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Confederate, Expatriate, Jewish Sculptor" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Confederate, Expatriate, Jewish Sculptor"
Abstract: A presentation about the life and work of Moses Jacob Ezekiel.
Author: Samantha Baskind
Date: 06/20/2020
Location: Congregation B'nai Israel, Milburn, NJ

"Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Confederate, Expatriate, Jewish Sculptor" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Confederate, Expatriate, Jewish Sculptor"
Abstract: A presentation about the life and work of Moses Jacob Ezekiel.
Author: Samantha Baskind
Date: 05/20/2020
Location: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Moses Jacob Ezekiel, Religious Liberty (Web Resource)
Title: Moses Jacob Ezekiel, Religious Liberty
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: Web resource for the definitive art history site that will likely replace textbooks.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://smarthistory.org/moses-jacob-ezekiel-religious-liberty/

Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Jewish, Confederate, Expatriate Sculptor (Book)
Title: Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Jewish, Confederate, Expatriate Sculptor
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: How is it that the prolific nineteenth-century sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel is largely forgotten today? Ezekiel was the first renowned Jewish American artist and one of the most popular artist-celebrities of his day. In terms of drama, his life story rivals Alexander Hamilton’s. Ezekiel fought for the Confederacy at the Battle of New Market as a teenager and was friends with Robert E. Lee. After the war, he established himself as an artist in Rome, where he was honored by European royalty and enjoyed friendships with the likes of Franz Liszt, Queen Margherita, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. Ezekiel created well over one hundred sculptures, but his hotly contested Confederate works have since obscured his other major accomplishments. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Moses Jacob Ezekiel resurrects this complicated artist’s life and work and presents the fascinating details of how his sculptures were commissioned and made. Samantha Baskind shows how Ezekiel’s sculptures shed light on a range of issues, including the modernization of American Jewry, radical changes in the art world concerning style and patronage, and Civil War commemoration. The conflicting allegiances that motivated Ezekiel’s statues―his conservative Confederate leanings alongside his liberal views on peace, Judaism, and religious liberty―make him an intriguing lens through which to understand nineteenth-century transatlantic culture and history. This compelling book provides a complete picture of Ezekiel’s oeuvre and his renowned home studio, which drew international visitors. It will appeal to readers interested in art history, Jewish studies, Civil War studies, American studies, and public monuments.
Year: 2025
Primary URL: https://search.worldcat.org/title/1504234367
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 978-0271099804

An Unprecedented Collaboration: The Bernheim Brothers, Moses Jacob Ezekiel, and Thomas Jefferson at the Louisville Metro Hall (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: An Unprecedented Collaboration: The Bernheim Brothers, Moses Jacob Ezekiel, and Thomas Jefferson at the Louisville Metro Hall
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: Paper presentation based on archival research for a chapter of the book.
Date: 10/25/2024
Conference Name: Southern Jewish Historical Society Conference

Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Confederate Statuary and the Mutability of Meaning (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Moses Jacob Ezekiel’s Confederate Statuary and the Mutability of Meaning
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: "Lunchbag Seminar" for Smithsonian American Art Museum fellows
Date Range: 1/12/2024
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Arlington National Cemetery’s Confederate Monument Has a Troubling History (Article)
Title: Arlington National Cemetery’s Confederate Monument Has a Troubling History
Author: Samantha Baskind
Abstract: Article in The Washington Post about Ezekiel's Confederate monument in Arlington National Cemetery
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/10/07/arlington-national-cemetary-confederate-monument/
Format: Newspaper
Periodical Title: Washington Post

---