Img. ID: 341398
The opening decoration of the scroll is seriously damaged. At present only remains of a decorative cartouche surrounded by flowers and birds are visible. The text panels are surrounded by the hand-painted border made of foliate ornaments with flowers (tulips?) and birds.
On the left, can be seen the wooden roller the scroll is mounted on.
The length of the sheets in the scroll: 1) 509 mm, 2) 548 mm, 3) 548 mm, 4) 405 mm, 5) 460 mm.
The text panels: 119-122x78-84 mm.
The roller: 380 mm (height).
O | Ornamentation: | Foliate and floral ornaments | Floral motif
O | Ornamentation: | Cartouche
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The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 5 sheets containing 21 columns of the text with 20 lines, except for col. 18 with 11 lines divided into two parts.
The number of text columns per sheet: no. 1 - 4, no. 2 - 5, no. 3 - 5, no. 4 - 4, no. 5 - 3.
The text is inscribed in Hebrew square Italian-Sephardi script with tagim, in dark brown ink, on the flesh side of parchment membranes.
The letters ח (Es. 1:6) and ת (Es. 9:29) are highlighted by their size - they are slightly larger than an average letter in the scroll. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 18.
The ruling is made with a stylus.
The membranes in the scroll are stitched together.
None
The cartouche included in the opening decoration could originally have contained a drawing or an inscription; at present, the letters "Ed" (?) might be discerned on it. The field of the cartouche included in the final decoration contains a signature of Ottavio Lam[p?] in the Latin alphabet; possibly he was the previous owner of the megillah.
The frames were originally painted gold but now only some remnant of the color is visible.
Olga Sixtova, O svitku / Form of the Scroll [katalog k výstavě konané v Galerii Roberta Guttmanna Židovského muzea v Praze od 22. června do 26. července 2006], Praha 2006, 26-27.
The Precious Legacy. Judaic Treasures from the Czechoslovak State Collections, ed. David A. Altshuler, p. 269, object 253.
http://collections.jewishmuseum.cz/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/221269 (accessed on 06.11.2020).