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Img. ID: 346182

© Jewish Museum in London (JML), Photographer: N/A, -

The scroll opens with a crowned cartouche with a mask and flowers; its field remained empty. The decorative program of this lavishly decorated megillah is based on an architectonic frame with a balustrade on which a variety of ornamental motifs is placed: allegorical figures, putti flanking cartouches and supporting a crown, flower-filled vases, garlands, and cartouches. Above each text panel, there are allegories (seven in total) depicted as seated women holding different attributes alternately with pairs of putti. In the text panels below the allegories, cartouches decorated with a mask and filled with Hebrew inscriptions are incorporated. Below them (inside the lunettes), there are two symmetrical garlands. The text of the biblical Book of Esther is written within arcades flanked by twisted columns. Above them, flower-filled vases are placed; they separate allegories and pairs of putti in the upper margins. The lower margins are adorned with miniatures chronicling the Purim story framed in cartouches interspaced by columns' bases. 

Allegorical figures (from right to left) with the inscriptions that are related to their meaning:

A figure holding a pitcher in her right hand and a bridle in the other is the allegory of Temperance; it is inscribed with a quotation דבש מצאת אכל דייך (Proverbs 25:16) – “If you have found honey, eat enough for you”.

A figure holding a branch with flowers in her right hand

A figure holding a Torah scroll robed in a mantle in her right hand and an open book or tablets of the Law in her other hand is the allegory of Faith; it is inscribed with a quotation  () – “”.

A figure with a head slightly raised with an anchor at her feet is the allegory of Hope; it is inscribed with a quotation בטח אל יי בכל לבך (Proverbs 3:5) – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart”.

An armored figure holding a spike (?) in her right hand and a shield in her other hand is the allegory of

A figure holding a sword in her right hand and a pair of scales in the other is the allegory of Justice; it is inscribed with a quotation פלס ומאזני משפט ליי (Prov. 16:11) – “The balance and scales of justice are the Lord’s”.

A figure playing a cello with a sheet of music notation on her lap is the allegory of Music; it is inscribed with a quotation  () – “”.

The scroll is mounted on an ivory roller.

Name/Title
JML Allegories and Putti Esther Scroll | Unknown
Object Detail
Settings
Unknown
Date
mid-18th century
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown (Unknown)
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Unknown |
Congregation
Unknown
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Ripa scrolls|
{"219":"The family of profusely hand-decorated scrolls that differ in detail, but they all include allegorical representations. In most cases, they are seated women with attributes that are strongly modeled on the iconographical imageries included in “Iconology” by Cesare Ripa (1555–1622). His work printed for the first time in Rome in 1593 was one the favorite manuals for the European artists in the 17th and 18th centuries. "}
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Material / Technique
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Summary and Remarks
Remarks
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Bibliography
Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Type
Documenter
|
Author of description
Dagmara Budzioch | 2021
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
|
Language Editor
|
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.
M002758