Obj. ID: 35513
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts MOIJA Esther Scroll with Biblical Scenes, Padua (?), 18th century
The scroll is lavishly illustrated with scenes chronicling the narrative of the Book of Esther framed in elongated ovals, which fill the upper and lower margins along with the whole manuscript. They are supplemented with the scenes from other biblical Books: Genesis, Exodus, and Samuel. Incorporated is also an episode from the Book of Judith that is not a part of the Hebrew Bible. These additional scenes are smaller and appear between the ovals and at the same time, above the decorative quasi columns that separate the text; they are decorated with different ornaments. Most of the biblical episodes illustrating other books than the Book of Esther are labeled in Hebrew; originally the episodes from the Megillah were captioned too but the inscriptions were erased and are invisible now.
Originally some details could be painted in gold.
The paints' shades are not the same on all membranes.
sub-set tree:
The length of the sheets in the scroll: 1) ca. 775 mm, 2) 735 mm, 3) 445 mm.
Dimensions of the selected details in the scroll:
- text column: ca. 142x90 mm;
- decorative columns between the columns of the text: ca. 160x15-20 mm;
- illustration: 35 x ca. 85 mm;
- an average letter: 3 mm;
- spaces between the lines of the text: 3 mm.
There is some blank space at the beginning (ca. 110 mm) and the end (ca. 75 mm) of the scroll.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 3 sheets containing 15 columns of the text with 26 or 27 lines, except for col. 13 with 11 lines divided into two parts.
Sheets nos. 1 and 2 contain 6 columns of the text, and the third sheet contains 3 columns.
The text is inscribed in the Hebrew square Italian script with tagim, in dark brown ink, on the flesh side of parchment sheets that are bright, of medium thickness, and rather stiff. The blank side of the sheets is very dark.
Tagin seem to be marked in darker ink than the text was written.
The letter ח (Es. 1:6) is marked by its form - it is composed of two parts joined with a roof. The letter ת (Es. 9:29) is enlarged. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 13.
The ruling was possibly drawn with a pencil along with the whole sheet.
The membranes in the scroll are stitched.
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