Img. ID: 341430
Columns of the text nos. 9 (sheet 3) and 10 (sheet 4) are surrounded by a hand-drawn decoration in a pen and brown ink. Between the text panels, full figures of Shethar (sheet 3), Admatha, and Tarshish (the princes listed in Es. 1:14) are placed; they are named in Hebrew. The roundels in the upper margin contain busts of Teresh (sheet 3), Hatakh, and Hegai. In the oval frames, in the lower margin can be seen the day of rejoicing for the Jews at Susa (Es. 8:17) labeled שמחה וששון ליהודים, and the victory of the Jews over their enemies in Susa (Es. 9:15) labeled ויקהלו היהודים ויהרגו בשושן. An additional scene - the depiction of the hanging of Haman's ten sons (Es. 9:14) - is incorporated into the text column no. 10 listing their names. It is possibly modeled on the same scene as depicted in the popular Amsterdam scrolls with printed borders that date back to the beginning of the 18th century (in the Index see for "scrolls with landscapes" and "scrolls with portrait medallions"). It depicts a high gallows with ten rungs and on each of them, a body is hanging. A high ladder supported by two men leans on the gallows.
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Haman's house (based on Es. 8:1)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour (Es. 8:16-17)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Jews battle their enemies (Es. 9:5-12)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Shethar
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Admatha
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Tarshish
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Teresh
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Hatach
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | *Esther's Story Characters (depicted not in narrative scenes): | Hegai
A | Angel of Death | Angel's head
P | Portrait | Portrait medallion
V | Vase | Vase with flowers
F | Flower
B | Bird
|
The manuscript is well preserved, although some parts of the text are lighter and less visible.
The scroll is formed of 4 sheets containing 12 columns of the text with 34 lines, except for col. 10 with 11 lines divided into two parts and col. 12 with 32 lines.
The number of text columns per sheet: no. 1 – 4, no. 2 – 3, no. 3 – 2, no. 4 - 3.
The text is inscribed in the Hebrew square script with tagim, in brown ink on the flesh side of the parchment membranes.
The letter ח (Es. 1:6) is enlarged and decorated with scrolled feet. The letter ת (Es. 9:29) is enlarged and bolded. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 10.
The letters of the Tetragrammaton are marked with a single taga that is bent to the right.
The ruling - horizontal and vertical lines - is made with a hardpoint.
The membranes in the scroll are stitched together.
None
The former number of the scroll is Ms 313.
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, 32-33.
https://collections.jewishmuseum.cz/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/221251 (accessed on 7.11.2020).
Bibliography on scrolls made by Aryeh Leib ben Daniel of Goray or attributed to him:
Dagmara Budzioch, The Decorated Esther Scrolls from the Museum of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw and the Tradition of Megillot Esther Decoration in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries – An Outline [Polish: Dekorowane zwoje Estery z Żydowskiego Instytutu Historycznego w Warszawie na tle tradycji dekorowania megilot Ester w XVII i XVIII wieku. Zarys problematyki], Warsaw 2019, 1:206-215.
Victor Klagsbald, Catalogue raisonné de la collection juive du Musée de Cluny, Paris 1981, 64-66, object 73.
Mendel Metzger, The Earliest Engraved Italian Megilloth, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 1966, 48/2, esp. 409, 422-425.
Ernest Namenyi, "The Illumination of Hebrew Manuscripts after the Invention of Printing," in Cecil Roth (ed.), Jewish Art, an Illustrated History (London, 1961), col. 435.
A Journey through Jewish Worlds: Highlights from the Braginsky Collection of Hebrew Manuscripts and Printed Books, eds. Evelyn M. Cohen, Emile Schrijver, Sharon Liberman Mintz, Amsterdam 2009, 246-249.
Schöne Seiten. Jüdische Schriftkultur aus der Braginsky Collection, eds. Emile Schrijver, Falk Wiesemann, Evelyn M. Cohen, Sharon Liberman Mintz, Menahem Schmeltzer, Zurich 2011, 266-269.
A Fine Illustrated Esther Scroll, [ca. 1740], lot 105, Sotheby's New York Important Judaica, 20 December 2017 https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.105.html/2017/important-judaica-n09687 (accessed on 31.07.2020).
A Magnificent Esther Scroll Written and illustrated Aryeh Leib ben Daniel of Goray, Schwelm, 1737, lot 187, Sotheby's New York Important Judaica Including Property from the Estate of Shlomo Moussaieff, 15 December 2016 https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/important-judaica-n09589/lot.187.html (accessed on 31.07.2020).