Img. ID: 346190
Sheet no. 1
The scroll opens with decoration surrounding all three benedictions recited before the Megillah reading. They are flanked by two columns decorated with flowers and leaves. Above the benedictions is a medallion with a bust of a king playing the harp (King David?) supported by two rampant lions that are surrounded by floral ornament.
Length of the sheets in the scroll: 1) ca. 750 mm, 2) ca. 745 mm, 3) ca. 375 mm (final part of the sheet is attached to the roller).
Dimensions of the selected details in the scroll:
- frames with illustrations: ca. 47x50 mm;
- width of the text columns: between ca. 100 and 150 mm;
- height of the text columns: between ca. 85 and 145 mm;
- an average letter: 2 mm (some letters are 5 mm high);
- letters in col. 10: 6 mm;
- letters in the initial words of the blessings: 12 mm.
The roller: ca. 345 mm.
O | Ornamentation: | Foliate and floral ornaments | Floral motif
O | Ornamentation: | Ornament
O | Ornamentation: | Initial word, decorative
L | Lion
K | King
D | David | David the King
D | David | David as musician | David playing harp
D | David | David as musician
|
The first membrane lacks its upper-right corner and it is torn in two places; there is also a yellow stain on it.
On the blank side of a sheet, a piece of silver tape is visible.
The edges of the sheets are dirty.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew preceded with the initial benedictions for the Megillah reading.
The scroll is formed of 3 sheets containing a total of 12 columns of text (+ initial column containing benedictions) that are of different shapes and very wide (the columns on the second sheet are similar to each other).
The number of lines of the text per column varies; the columns contain 12, 17, 20, 24, or 26-29 lines.
Col. 10 contains 12 lines divided into two parts and decorated. The last name of Haman's sons was omitted and it was added on the blank space, between the half-columns; these two words are reversed.
The number of columns of text per membrane: no. 1 - 4 (+ prefatory panel), no. 2 - 5, no. 3 - 3.
The text is inscribed in the Hebrew Ashkenazi stam script with tagin in brown ink on the flesh side of parchment membranes of different thicknesses. Their side of decorations and text is brighter and smoother than the blank side.
The scroll opens with a decorative initial word.
The letter ח (Es. 1:6) is highlighted by its size - it is enlarged, bolded, painted, and decorated with dots; two other letters in the word are executed in the same way too. The letter ת (Es. 9:29) is enlarged and bolded. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 10.
The text includes large letters פ with a flourish inside.
The letter ע of the last word is decorated.
The letters of the Tetragrammaton are enlarged and bolded. On the second sheet, they can be found four times.
The ruling is invisible.
The membranes in the scroll are glued together.
The benedictions are copied in a prefatory panel. The words ברוך אתה are inscribed in large hand-drawn and colored letters (they could be originally painted gold) separated from the rest of the formulas. They are written in the square script. Instead of the Tetragrammaton, a ligature is used.
None
A similar scroll is stored in a private collection in Europe.
No bibliography on the scroll is available.