Obj. ID: 44697
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts  Fugger's Venetian Miscellany, Venice, 1552

1. Commentary on the Pentateuch (Genesis) (פרוש התורה לרד"ק) by David ben Joseph Kimhi (fols. 1-110): begins בראשית ברא אלהים ... וגו' מלת בראשית איננה סמוכה כמו בראשית ממלכת יהויקים.

2. Commentary on the Pentateuch (פירוש התורה) by Jacob of Vienna (fols. 111-191): begins בטוב אגרא אתחיל ראשית .. אמר ר' יצחק לא היה צריך להתחיל .

3. Sitrei Torah (סתרי תורה; Secrets of the Torah) by Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (fols. 192-265): begins בטוב אגרא אתחיל ... סתרי תורה מקור חיים . Other copies inMunich: BSB Cod.hebr. 11 (fols. 323v-329); BSB Cod.hebr. 33 (fols. 1-71); BSB Cod.hebr. 56 (fols. 61-129v). All from Fugger’s Venetian group.

4. Imrei Shefer (אמרי שפר; lit. The Words of Beauty) by Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (fols. 265v-277r): begins זה רמז נסתר והוא השעם אכתוב אמרי שפר נתנו עצה לדעת סוד . Another copy inMunich: BSB Cod.hebr. 40 (fols. 219-277v) is from Fugger’s Venetian group.  

5. Siddur (סדור; Prayer Book) by Rashi (fols. 278-412v): beginsבטוב אגרא אתחיל ...  אחל לכתוב בעזרת היוצר הרים וגבעות סדרים של רבינו שלמה ופסקי הלכות.

6. Ba’al Kenafayim (בעל כנפיים; The Winged One) by Joseph ben Hayyim Hacohen (fols. 413-551): begins בטוב אגרא אתחיל ... אחל לכתוב ספר שמו בעל כנפיים .

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Dark green leather on wooden boards (350 x323 mm); gold-tooled with an empty central roundel on the

front cover. Below it are the letters: KKKKK and IIIII. On the back cover the roundel encloses a shield. Both roundels are within an undulating lozenge within a large rectangle, decorated with floral motifs at the centre of each side and at the corners. The spine, blind-tooled with hatching, has four hidden cords and head and tail bands. On the edges of the back cover are vestiges of four groups of three plaited leather bands, two groups on the side and one each on the upper and lower edges, with corresponding holes for four nails on the edges of the front cover (for preserved bands see Cod.hebr. 301). Each group of three bands terminated in a ring intended to hook over the nails on the opposite cover. The leaves are gilt-edged.

This binding was made for Fugger by Anton Ludwig in Venice (Hobson 1999:129). Similar bindings in BSB: e.g. Cod.hebr. 20, 28, 43, 46, 49, 68, 73, Cod.gr. 78.

Watermarks of the last flyleaf: none.

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Owners' inscriptions: None.

Inscriptions of librarians and researchers:

Fol. 1'v: Contents in Hebrew in brownish-black ink by Librarian 1a:

פירוש על ספר בראשית/ פשטים ופרושים על חמשה/ חומשי תורה ממהר"ר יעקב/ מווינא ספר סתרי תורה/ מקור חיים גם ספר שמו/ בעל כנפיים/ סדרים של רבינו שלמה/ ופסקי הלכות.

Below this, on the left, in the same ink by Librarian 3: Perusch al sephar bereschis\/ pshathim vperuschim al\ hemischa humsche tora\ mimaherar Iacou me\ Vienna\ Sephaer sisre tora mekor\ haim: gam sephaer nikra\ Schemo baal Kenaphaim.\ Commentarius super librum qui vocatur Bereschis.\ R. Jacob Viennensis comentarius Super Pentateuchum.\ Sedarim schael rabenu/ Schloma Vpiske halachos.\ Rabi Salomonis Decisiones Iuris.\ Talmudicus tractatus.\ Liber Baal knaphaim, de Reuolutionibus et combinationibus\ literarum. 

Front pastedown, on paper stuck to the pastedown: notes on the contents of the manuscript in German in brown ink by S. Weil.

At the lower part of the pastedown in plummet: contents in German.

Exlibris and stamps: Front wooden board, inner side: an exlibris of the Bavarian Court and State Library (230 x155 mm) with the arms of Elector Maximilian I of 1638 (Dressler 1972:B3ab).

Old signatures:

Front cover, middle lower part, in black ink, upside-down: St. 8 N0 4 (signature of Fugger's library).

Front cover, right lower part in brown ink: 2. n0. 43 (Duke's library, Prommer's signature).

Fol. 1'v, lower middle part in red ink: 2. 43 (Duke's library, Prommer's revision of 1583).

Fol. 1'v, upper right corner in brown ink: MS Hebr. 24.

Spine, in black and brown ink on three stickers: 24, ?09 and 28.