Img. ID: 328810
Col. 15: In the upper margin, a bust of a young person is depicted. In the lower margin, on the right, there is a gallows with two bodies suspending from it; they are the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh (Es. 2:23). On the left, the king is seated on the throne and a person (Esther?) is kneeling at his feet; it can be a moment when Esther informs the king about the plot of Bigthan and Teresh (Es. 2:22).
Col. 16: In the upper margin, a bust of a young person is depicted. In the lower margin, an unidentified scene is represented. On the right, the king sits on the throne and another person stands next to him. On the left, there are two men standing; one of them holds a piece of rope (?) which is tied around a neck of yet another man who is prostrated on the ground.
Col. 17: In the upper margin, a bust of a man is depicted. In the lower margin, on the right, Ahasuerus sits on the throne under a canopy and the crowned Esther kneels before him and asks the king to hang the ten sons of Haman on the gallows. On the left, Haman's ten sons are hanging on two beams of the same gallows (Es. 9:14).
Col. 18: In the upper margin, a bust of a young man is depicted. In the lower margin, on the right, a table with three scribes seated at it is shown. They write one of the decrees; it can be a decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves (Es. 8:9). On the left, the king's messengers are going to deliver the decree (Es. 8:14).
Col. 19: In the upper margin, a bust of a young crowned man is depicted. In the lower margin, on the right, a feast is shown; it can be the first Purim feast (Es. 9:17-23). In the text column above, an additional scene of hanging of Haman’s ten sons (Es. 9:14) is incorporated. It is designed in the same way as in the Amsterdam prototype (see "Esther scrolls with portrait medallions") - on every beam of a very high gallows, a single body is hanged. A high ladder leans on it and on its top an executioner is sitting (he is only partly visible).
O | Ornamentation: | Foliate and floral ornaments
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Esther informs King Ahasuerus about the plot against him (Es. 2:22)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Bigthan and Teresh hanged (Es. 2:23)
S | Scene, unidentified
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Ahasuerus' messenger(s) (Es. 8:14)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | New decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves (Es. 8:8-10)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | First Purim feast (Es. 9:17-23)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Haman's sons hanged (Es. 9:14)
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The scroll consists of 3 membranes containing 22 text columns with 22 lines, except for col. 19 with 11 lines divided into two parts.
Every letter ל in the words המלך occurring in the first lines of the text columns is decorated with elaborate tagim.
The text includes an enlarged ח (Es. 1:6) that is formed of two parts joined with a roof and its legs end with serifs. In the text, the enlarged letter ת (Es. 9:29) is included too. In addition, traditional enlarged and diminished letters are in col. 19; they are also decorated with elaborated tagim and in the case of two of the letters, additional strokes are drawn below them.
In the first text panel are inscribed all three benedictions preceded by an adequate Hebrew headline ברכות מגלה. Whereas the last panel contains the final benediction followed by a shortened version of ארור המן Arur Haman.
In general, the ruling is slightly visible.
The parchment is bright; both sides of the sheets are very similar so it is difficult to distinguish between the flesh and hair side of a sheet.
The membranes are glued which was relatively rare for Esther scrolls.
In the institutional and private collections, other scrolls decorated with a similar pattern are stored.