Text panels nos. 11 and 12 (sheet 6) surrounded by the hand-painted decoration.
Upper margin:
25. In the center, the king is standing; on the right, two men are standing before him and on the left, three musicians are walking - an unidentified scene.
26. A long gallows with 10 bodies - Haman's sons hanged (Es. 9:14).
27. The scene of a battle - is difficult to determine which particular verse is represented here but it can be an additional day of fights (Es. 9:15-16).
Lower margin:
24. Purim celebration, although is cannot be decided if the scene depicts the first Purim feast (Es. 9:17-23) or celebrations from the times of the manuscript's maker. We can recognize here: a woman with a pitcher, a man with a tray full of glasses, a couple in the checquered pattern costumes, a man playing with a dog, a man standing on his head, and people feasting at the table. On the far left, there is a mysterious figure of a man with a baby in his arms who appears to be running away.
| Codex hebraicus 345
| Codex hebraicus 345
M | Musician
M | Musical Instruments
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Haman's sons hanged (Es. 9:14)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Additional day of fighting (Es. 9:15-16)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | First Purim feast (Es. 9:17-23)
P | Purim | Purim celebration
P | Purim | Purim costume
P | Purim | Purim games
P | Purim | Purim feast
|
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).