Obj. ID: 39868
Jewish printed books Siddur Tikkun Shabbat, Amsterdam, 1828
This text was prepared by William Gross:
This is a quite regular siddur produced in Amsterdam, but it is distinquished by three elements. The first is a printer's mark, very similar to an earlier one by the Proops family, but different in its details of the two hands of the Cohanim. The second element is a hand rendered extra page at the beginning. The page is a dedication of a gift from the mohel to the boy he has just circumcised. The page is done in a particularly attractive and aesthetic manner. The third element is a full page illustrated frontispiece prior to the title page that shows the shewbread table in the Timple with priests. This image appears in books from both Holland and Italy. On the inside front cover there appears a listing of family births. On the pages carrying the text for the Havdalah ceremony are heavy wine stains giving evidence of the use of the Siddur.
The Proops family was involved in the printing of Hebrew books in Amsterdam from the beginning of the 18th century. As the longest lasting such printing house in that city over generations, their publications spanned more than 150 years. The current volume was issued by David b. Ya'akov Proops, who printed from 1810 to 1849 in partnership with H. van Emde and his widow. The famous press was then sold to Levisson.