Obj. ID: 38111
  Illuminated Manuscripts  JMNY Shalom Italia Engraved Esther Scroll with Lions, Amsterdam, 1640s

Lavishly decorated Esther scroll adorned with an engraved border designed by Shalom ben Mordecai Italia (also known as Shalom D'Italia).

The scroll opens with a symmetrical decoration based on a semicircle that is composed of six birds (a pair of peacocks, parrots, and) with... that fits the shape of the right edge of the first membrane. Next to it, there is a decorative rectangular frame with a mask and two peacocks. Possibly it was planned for an inscription by an owner of the manuscript but it is empty. It is followed by a flower-filled vase. On its brim, an inscription by the engraver can be seen. The belly of a vase is flanked by a squirrel and a monkey or an ape.

The same engraved metal plate was used for all membranes; therefore, the decorative scheme repeats along with the entire length of the scroll. The Hebrew text of the Book of Esther is inscribed within elaborately decorated arcades (eight per sheet) on which ornamentation of the upper margins is placed. They are filled with repetitive elements: two lions facing each other flank flower-filled vases placed inside the pediments. Between each pair of lions a vase with flowers if placed. In the elongated cartouches placed at the top of the arches, various land- and cityscapes are included. Full figures of four Esther story protagonists are placed in the niches between the text panels; every figure of Ahasuerus, Esther, Mordecai, and Haman appears twice on each sheet. They stand on small octagonal pedestals on which eight different land- and seascapes are depicted.