Background
He was born in Sinsheim, Germany to a secular family among the pioneers of the local silversmith industry.
He was born in Sinsheim, Germany to a secular family among the pioneers of the local silversmith industry.
Apprentice at the "Brookmann & Sons", Heilbronn, Germany
1927 Silversmithing, Kunstgewerbeschule, Berlin.
David Heinz Gumbel (given name was Detlev Heinz. In 1918, the Gumbels relocated to Heilbronn where David worked as an apprentice in the "Bruckmann & Sons" factory, becoming a certified steel engraver. Following his studies, Gumbel was employed at workshops in Düsseldorf and Stockholm, as well as in the family factory in Heilbronn.
lieutenant was there that Gumbel began to design hand-made silver pieces in the modern style.
Simultaneously, he produced Jewish ritual objects like a Chanukah menorah or candlesticks. Once in the Land of Israel, Gumbel began to work with typography, ostensibly as a result of Wolpert"s influence.
Despite Gumbel"s modern approach to design, he continued to work with and teach the traditional methods of manual manufacturing, such as repoussé. In the early 1940s, he opened an independent workshop where he produced metal works and Judaica pieces in said silversmith techniques.
Gumbel retired from his work at Bezalel in 1955.
In his will Gumbel left the continuation of his creation to the artist Malka Cohavi, his assistant and teacher at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Some of his most notable works: Candlestick of three arms (1930), Silver pouch for Declaration of Independence scroll (1949), Mezuzah case (1960), Etrog box (1975), Mezuza for the Supreme Court (1992) and more. 1936-1956 The Metal Department, New Bezalel, Jerusalem.