Shabbat Queen
Illuminated Self Portrait Celebrating Shabbat with a Theme of Seven
18” x 24”
Shabbat Queen
Original hand painted with real gold, celebrating the Shabbat Queen with a theme of 7
In this recent self-portrait, Raquy is depicted seated in full lotus with her darbuka with the word “Malaka” in Arabic which means “Queen”. Her feet and hands are decorated with henna. There is a theme of seven, reflecting Shabbat as the 7th day of the week- there are Shabbat candles and seven golden orbs known as duraklar in Turkish. The notated music is a phrase in 7/8 meter from Raquy’s melodic composition called “Bewitched”.
The stage-like background is decorated with flowers, leaves, vines and “rumis” which are stylized decorative motifs characterized by curved, drop-shaped, and wing-like patterns derived from animal and mythical creature forms in Islamic art.
Combining music, sacred symbolism, and the centuries-old tradition of illumination, Shabbat Queen reflects Raquy's distinctive artistic vision.
The original work is created with genuine gold, watercolors and gouache on 300 gsm acid-free archival cold press watercolor paper.
Listen to Raquy’s composition “Bewitched”, an excerpt of which is notated in the painting:
Watch this video with Raquy explaining the symbolizm and techniques of the Shabbat Queen: