Boris Schatz was a sculptor who by the beginning of the twentieth century had gained a modest reputation in the Jewish world.1 As an artist he was never highly regarded, especially when compared with other Jewish artists of his time,2 but as the founder of Bezalel he was constantly praised within the Zionist Organisation, and problems that arose with the man or the School were rarely mentioned.3 He was known however as a controversial figure who inspired enthusiastic admiration on the one hand and bitter opposition on the other.4