Obj. ID: 39612
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts GFC Ornamented Leather Esther Scroll, Morocco, ca. 1875
The leather scroll is decorated with irregularly placed simple ornaments incorporated in the columns of text. The last column of text in the scroll is diamond-shaped and is surrounded by ornaments.
The scroll is mounted on a wooden roller.
According to William Gross: "This is a highly unusual scroll. While there are many Esther Scrolls from Morocco that are made of Gvil parchment, this is the only one recorded that is also painted and decorated. The stave is completely Moroccan in style as well and is rather primitively carved, perhaps indicated the rural origin of both stave and scroll."
Some other decorated megillot written on leather (gvil) are listed as "Related objects".
sub-set tree:
The scroll is preserved in fair condition; there are some serious damages on the upper margins and a part of the membrane above the last column of text is not preserved.
There are some damages in the ornamentation too.
The parchment seems to be very dry.
The sheets are folded between the text columns; this suggests that the scroll could be used for the Megillah reading.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll consists of 5 (?) membranes containing a total of 15 (?) columns with 19 lines per each, except for the col. 13 which is written in 11 lines divided into two half-columns.
The text is inscribed in Hebrew square Oriental script in dense black ink on the hair side of the leather (gvil) membranes.
The letter ח (Es. 1:6) is elongated but despite this, it does not stand out from the text. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 13.
Col. 12 is very narrow and contains some seriously elongated letters.
Not always the lines in a column of text are of equal length.
The ruling - horizontal and vertical lines - is made with a hardpoint ruled across the width of the membranes.
The pricking can be seen between the columns of text.
None
No bibliography on the scroll is available.