Obj. ID: 36440 Book Binding for Pinkas of Society of Gemilut Hasidim, Budapest, 1806/7
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The following description was prepared by William Gross: The bindings of Jewish books are generally quite simple, but there does exist a tradition, probably among the wealthier section of the population, of binding books in special and elegant ways utilizing a variety of material.
Silver book bindings are one of the most elegant objects of Jewish ritual art. The form is generally copied from Catholic and Orthodox Christian tradition where prayer books were often covered with silver bindings in keeping with the other elegant silver pieces used in the prayer service. As in many other areas of life, Jews emulated some customs from what they saw of their Christian neighbors. Since such a binding was an expensive purchase for an individual, such silver pieces are fairly rare. Their appearance is most widespread in Italy, but examples also exist from Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Austria, and even the Ottoman Empire.
An extraordinarily large and heavy silver book cover for a Pinkas of a Holy Society of Gemilut Hasidim. In the front of the manuscript are written several pages of regulation in an exquisite Yiddish hand. The rest of the several hundred pages are blank and new. The silverwork is marked and engraved with many names of the Gabbaim and officers of the Society. The binding is fully marked both with the city and the maker's mark.
Inscription: Zeh Ne'esah al-Yadei Alufim.....