Obj. ID: 36175
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts Museo Sefardí Incomplete Amalek Esther Scroll, Iraq, mid-19th century
The Hebrew text of the Book of Esther is inscribed in rectangular text panels surrounded by hand-painted decoration. Upper margins are adorned with a Hebrew inscription in large, hand-drawn letters. They are colorless while their background is painted in four alternating colors. The letters form complete or fragmentary Biblical quotations mentioning Amalek, an ancient enemy of the Jewish nation, who is believed to be an ancestor of Haman: Ex. 17:13-14, De. 25:17, 19, 1 Sa. 9:1, 2, and 1 Sa. 10:24. The spaces between the text panels are filled with different floral decorations. Another floral motif composed of trefoils adorns the lower margins. The manuscript is incomplete.
For another scroll decorated with large Hebrew letters in the margins see ID 27379.
6 image(s)
sub-set tree:
The manuscript is incomplete: it lacks its opening section (the text starts from Es. 1:7) and a fragment of the ninth chapter (Es. 9:7-21).
Its beginning is damaged and a part of the decoration is restored. Some parts of parchment membranes are very poorly preserved.
There are some stains on the sheets.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew + several verses from other biblical books written on the margins
Text columns include 13 lines.
The text is inscribed in the Hebrew square Oriental script, in black ink, on the flesh side of the sheets that is bright, whereas the other side of the sheets is yellow, smooth, and shiny.
The letter ת (Es. 9:29) is slightly larger than an average letter in the scroll.
The ruling is made with a hardpoint along with the membranes. The spaces between the lines are equal to the height of the letters, therefore, the letters could be inscribed between two lines.
None
A short description of the manuscript in Spanish and its images are available on http://ceres.mcu.es (accessed on 27.10.2020).