One-Armed Jacob the Water Carrier – 🏛️ Currently on Museum Exhibition

Cultural, Historical & Educational Context: The Water Carrier in the Shtetl Within the social hierarchy of the pre-war Jewish town, the trade of the water carrier (wassertreger) was among the lowest in status, physically exhausting, and meagerly paid. Yet, the water carrier was the silent backbone of daily existence; without indoor plumbing, his relentless labor from dawn to dusk sustained households, kosher kitchens, and the ritual bath (mikveh).

Marek Hausmann portrays Jacob, who carries out this grueling toil despite a severe physical disability — the loss of an arm. From an educational and social perspective, the painting restores profound dignity to the most vulnerable inhabitants of the shtetl, demonstrating that the material survival of the entire community rested upon the shoulders of the poorest and physically impaired.

Biblical Parallels & Metaphysical Depth: Jacob, Israel, and the Living Water

The artwork weaves a rich dialogue between harsh social reality and profound biblical symbolism. The protagonist’s name directly evokes the biblical Patriarch Jacob, whom God renamed Israel („He who strives with God and with men and has prevailed”, Genesis 32:28), establishing him as the father of the Twelve Tribes and the progenitor of the nation.

Just as the Patriarch Jacob wrestled with the divine messenger and limped away bearing a physical mark on his hip, the shtetl’s Jacob carries bodily impairment — his missing arm. Yet, despite his infirmity and poverty, his mission is life-giving. By carrying and distributing water — the universal symbol of life, purity, and Torah (Mayim Chayim / Living Water) — this humble, disabled laborer sustains the physical and spiritual life of his people.

The vertical, ladder-like composition references Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:12). Jacob the water carrier is transformed into a spiritual mediator between heaven and earth: from the raw reality of exhausting toil, he draws life-giving sustenance for his community.

Hausmann’s portrait serves as a painted Kaddish for the forgotten laborers of the past — a solemn tribute where physical vulnerability is elevated into spiritual grandeur and unbreakable human dignity.

Technical Specifications:

• Title: One-Armed Jacob the Water Carrier / Jednoręki Jacób nosiwoda

• Series: Kaddish for Shtetl (from the 22-canvas cycle)

• Artist: Marek Hausmann

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Dimensions: 60 × 80 cm (approx. 23.6 × 31.5 in)

• Year: 2026

• Signature: Signed by the artist

• Authenticity: Accompanied by an official Certificate of Authenticity (COA) signed by the artist.