Img. ID: 332845
Sheet no. 4 includes three columns of text (nos. 7-9).
At the top of the 7th column, there is an illustration that joins two episodes from the Book of Esther. On the right, King Ahasuerus is sitting on the throne, while a man reads a book in front of him. On the left, Mordecai is sitting on a horse led by Haman, while other people express their joy. The composition alludes to one of the scenes incorporated in the opening decoration of the scrolls illustrated by Philipp Jakob Franck (in the Index).
The scroll is preserved in very good condition.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 6 paper sheets containing 16 columns of the text. Some columns contain narrative illustrations, so the number of lines of text in each column varies.
Every sheet in the scroll contains three columns of text and/or illustrations.
The text is printed but it features the practices commonly employed in both decorated and undecorated handwritten megillot, such as the names of Haman's sons (Es. 9:6-10) copied in 11 lines divided into two parts, highlighted letters forming the Tetragrammaton, and enlarged letters ח (Es. 1:6) and ת (Es. 9:29).
The opening word of the book is printed in enlarged and bolded letters.
The sheets in the scroll are glued together.
None
Hand-decorated and printed paper scrolls are very rare.
Only one exemplar featuring the same illustrations has been located so far (see "Related objects").
As was noticed by William Gross, the owner of the scroll, illustrations incorporated in this scroll resemble "illustrations made at this time for haggadot, the birkat ha-mazon, minhagim books and tzeena ureena story books".
Another exemplar of the scroll sharing the same illustrations is mentioned in:
Olga Sixtova, O svitku / Form of the Scroll [katalog k výstavě konané v Galerii Roberta Guttmanna Židovského muzea v Praze od 22. června do 26. července 2006], Praha 2006, 42.