Obj. ID: 35190 GFC Paper Esther Scroll Illustrated with Woodcuts, Prague, ca. 1775
6 image(s)
sub-set tree:
The scroll is preserved in very good condition.
In this paper Esther scroll, both text and illustrations are printed in black ink. The illustrations feature a rather naive style and they were created with woodblocks, a technique only rarely represented in megillot Esther. All of them directly represent the Purim story except for the illustration at the top of the 8th column of the text. The scroll opens with a representation of the Ahasuerus' feast (Es. 1:3-8) and finishes with the depiction of Esther and Mordecai writing the Purim letter (Es. 9:29); these two fill the same space as an average column of text, but all other illustrations are smaller. Other scenes show the reading of the chronicles to the king (Es. 6:1), the triumph of Mordecai (Es. 6:11), hanging of Haman (Es. 7:10), and Esther before the king (unclear to which particular verse it alludes). Below the final column of the text, a tailpiece with floral motifs is placed.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 6 paper sheets containing 16 columns of the text. Some columns contain narrative illustrations, so the number of lines of text in each column varies.
Every sheet in the scroll contains three columns of text and/or illustrations.
The text is printed but it features the practices commonly employed in both decorated and undecorated handwritten megillot, such as the names of Haman's sons (Es. 9:6-10) copied in 11 lines divided into two parts, highlighted letters forming the Tetragrammaton, and enlarged letters ח (Es. 1:6) and ת (Es. 9:29).
The opening word of the book is printed in enlarged and bolded letters.
The sheets in the scroll are glued together.
None
Hand-decorated and printed paper scrolls are very rare.
Only one exemplar featuring the same illustrations has been located so far (see "Related objects").
As was noticed by William Gross, the owner of the scroll, illustrations incorporated in this scroll resemble "illustrations made at this time for haggadot, the birkat ha-mazon, minhagim books and tzeena ureena story books".
Another exemplar of the scroll sharing the same illustrations is mentioned in:
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, 42.