Obj. ID: 11600
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Esther scroll case, Aleppo, c. 1875

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The Scroll of Esther tells the story of the salvation of the Jews of the Persian Empire. Since the Talmudic period it has been customary to write the Book of Esther on parchment in the form of a scroll, and the rules governing its production and writing are basically the same as those for a traditional Torah scroll. It is not known when and under what circumstances artistic embellishment of Esther scrolls began. The earliest extant illuminated Esther scrolls emanate from 16th-century Italy, commissioned by well-to-do Italian Jews. Cylindrical or polygonal cases were often made to house such scrolls, often provided with a crank handle to roll the parchment through a vertical slot. Cases were made of copper, tin, and wood, but fine silver and some ivory cases have survived as well. Such containers for the scroll were mostly produced in Italy, Austria and the Ottoman Empire.

There is evidence that this five-sided form of the Esther Scroll case comes from Aleppo, sometimes in sheet silver or at others, as in the present example, with cut-out work. Similar cases are known from Iraq as well. These scroll containers almost all have a handle in the form of a crank. This case also has a bird as a finial on top. In a general way this type of scroll container very much resembles the multi-sided Torah tiks of Iraq and the surrounding area. The bird finial is present as well on Esther scroll cases from other parts of the Ottoman Empire. The Esther scroll on parchment is original to the case.