Img. ID: 332724
The German inscription reads:
Das Buch Esther. Hebräische Handschrift des XVII Jahrhunderts.
Aus der Bibliothek des Fürsten Wassili Sergeewitsch Trubetzkoi in Znamenskoe (Provinz Moskau, Kreis Podolsk). Fürst W.S. Trubetzkoi, destorben am 11 Februar 1841, war General der Kavallerie, Mitglied des Russischen Reichsrathes, Ritter des St. Alexander Newsky Ordens und des St. Wladimir Ordens I-e Classe, was mit der Princessin Catharina Biron von Curland verheiratet. Er war Fremaurer. In seiner Jugend was er Kammerherr der Kaiserin Catherina II. Er hat an aller Kriegen gegen Napoleon in den Jahren 1805-1815 theilgenommen.
Der Sohn des Fürsten W.S.Trubetzkoi hat das gut Znamenskoe mit der Bibliothek circa 1862 an Geheimrath J.P.v. Schablykin verkauft, von dem 1882 S.v.Arzeniew. Kais. Russischer Minister-Resident in Hamburg, diese Handsschrift erhalten hat.
Translation:
The Book of Esther. Hebrew manuscript of the 17th century.
From the library of Prince Vasilii Sergeevich Trubetskoi in Znamenskoe (Moscow province, Podolsk district) [today Znamenskoye-Sadki]. Prince V.S. Trubetskoi, who died on 11 February 1841, was General of Cavallerie, a member of the Russian State Council, a Knight of the Orden of Alexander Nevsky and the Orden of St. Vladimir of the First Class; he married Princesse Catherine Biron of Courland. He was a Free mason. In his youth, he was a chamberlain of Catherine II [it is not truth, he was a chamberlain of Pavel I]. He participated in all the wars with Napoleon in 1805-1815.
A son of Prince S.V.Trubetskoi sold Znamenskoe with its library c. 1862 to privy councilor Ivan Shablykin, from whom Sergey Arseniev, the Russian Minister to Hamburg, received this manuscript in 1882.
| Codex hebraicus 345
| Codex hebraicus 345
The scroll is formed of 7 sheets containing 28 columns of the text with 17 lines except for col. 23 with 11 lines divided into two parts.
Each membrane contains 2 text panels with 4 columns of the text.
The text is inscribed in the Hebrew square Italian script, in black ink, on the flesh side of parchment membranes that is brighter than the blank side that is more yellow.
The letter ח (Es. 1:6) is highlighted by its form (it is formed of two elements joined with a roof) and size (it is larger than an average letter in the scroll). The letter ת is enlarged and bolded (Es. 9:29). Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 23.
The ruling is slightly visible, in some places only.
The membranes in the scroll are stitched.
None
A similar megillah stored in the Library of Congress, the African and Middle Eastern Division in Washington (no. 038.00.00) is described: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/an-illuminated-megillah-judaic-treasures (accessed on 24.09.2020).
Hans-Walter Stork, Falk Wiesemann, Codex hebraicus 345, [in:] Irina Wandrey ed., Manuscript Cultures, vol. 6, 249-252.
Images of the scroll are available on https://resolver.sub.uni-hamburg.de/kitodo/PPN895256576 (accessed on 24.09.2020).