Obj. ID: 39458
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts MOIJA Sepia Esther Scroll After Aryeh Leib ben Daniel of Goray, Italy (?), second half of the 18th century
The scroll is a later and simplified copy of the scrolls made by Aryeh Leib ben Daniel of Goray (Goraj, Poland) in the 1740s. The general layout is similar to the original artwork of ID 39596. The text columns are enclosed in frames, separated by figures of the Esther story protagonists with their names inscribed in Hebrew script below each figure; they are Ahasuerus, Vashti, Mordecai, Esther, Haman, Zeresh, Carshena, Zethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Marsena, Memucan, and Shashgas. The upper margin is filled with medallions containing busts of the minor characters of the story (all the figures are identified by their names written in Hebrew). The roundels are flanked by birds and between them, vases or baskets are placed. The lower margin is decorated with narrative scenes from the Esther story, identified in Hebrew, and separated by lions surrounded by plants.
The scroll is mounted on a wooden turned roller.
18 image(s)
sub-set tree:
In general, the scroll is preserved in good condition.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 4 sheets, containing in total 13 columns of text of 24-31 lines. Col. 11 includes 11 lines divided into two half-columns.
Membranes nos. 1, 3, and 4 contain 3 columns of text, and membrane no. 2 contains 4 columns.
The text is written in Hebrew square Ashkenazi script in brown ink on the flesh side of the parchment membranes.
The letters ח (Es. 1:6) and ת (Es. 9:29) are enlarged. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 11.
The text includes some seriously elongated letters.
The membranes in the scroll are stitched together.
The ruling is invisible, except for col. 11 in which horizontal lines are barely visible.
The pricking is invisible.
None
No bibliography on the scroll is available.
A short description of the manuscript and its image are available on https://museums.gov.il/en/items/Pages/ItemCard.aspx?IdItem=ICMS-EIT-0069 (accessed on 28.06.2021).
Bibliography on the 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.
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.
Mendel Metzger, The Earliest Engraved Italian Megilloth, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 1966, 48/2, esp. 409, 422-425.
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], Prag 2006, 32-33.
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).