The design concept of this manuscript, both the text and the execution, typify the Parisian 'Horae' tradition of the early 15th century ('Boucicaut-Meister'). The top-level organizational elements in the book's decorative program are seven pages decorated with miniatures; multi-line colorful initials mark the secondary textual divisions. The extremely squared illustrations on the decorated pages include scenes with figures enclosed on three sides by staffs entwined by tendrils with decorative gold, red and blue thorny leaves which completely fill the broad parchment margin. Four lines of text, introduced by a large colorful initial, are inserted between the illustration and the lower decorative staff. The beginning of each of the various offices is marked with such an ornamental page. This book of hours is not only the oldest item in the Carl Meyer collection in the Cantonal Library of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, it is one of its best and most valuable items. It is not know who originally commissioned the manuscript.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
The layperson who commissioned this book of hours is not known by name, but left definite personal traces on the book: he had a full page portrait miniature of himself painted on Fol. 11v, kneeling and accompanied by a coat of arms. The presence of such a prominent portrait of the benefactor indicates considerable ambition on the part of the book's commissioner, who was probably a member of the merchant class. In addition, the portrait was painted by a more talented artist than the other miniatures in the manuscript, which are made in the style of woodcuts. The book of hours could have been intended for use in eastern France. Stylistically, the work displays a provincial character.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This book of hours is patterned after the liturgical format of the Parisian 'Horae'. It differs, however, in its richer, yet qualitatively narrower range of illustrations: each of the Gospel selections is accompanied by a portrait of its author, and the Marian Office by a complete cycle illustrating the childhood of Jesus. The artist's indirect reception of the originals by the well known Paris illuminator, via a series of intermediate steps, displays numerous misunderstandings or intentional revisions. To the modern eye, accustomed to modern aesthetic norms, the shallow fields, bold juxtaposition of colors, and extremely foreshortened perspective used in these illustrations come across as expressive and inventive. The commissioner of the work is unknown.
Online Since: 06/08/2009
The origin of this manuscript in the northern French-Flemish border region can be determined from its liturgical features, its leather binding with stamped designs and the inscription Robiers Plovrins as well as by a comparison with stylistically similar manuscripts. Another book of hours illustrated by the same artist is held at Claremont near Berkeley, California (USA). This exemplar is a somewhat cruder imitation of the style of scribe and book illustrator Jean Markant, who was quite popular around 1500 in Lille. The commissioner of this volume is unknown.
Online Since: 06/08/2009
This book of hours with a tall, narrow format is a true pocket book, and the framing of the miniatures with architectural elements, crowned volutes, putti, and garlands displays a definite Renaissance influence. The book is illustrated with 16 full-page illuminations and 21 smaller, simpler miniatures by a different artist. One of the full-page illustrations shows the coat of arms of the person who commissioned the book: he was a certain Michel de Champrond (d. August 1, 1539), Lord of Ollé, Advisor and Paymaster of the King. This would indicate that a well-to-do personage, not of noble birth, but part of the court circle, had an elaborate, richly decorated and partially customized prayer book made by a middle quality manuscript workshop as late as the 1530s, when printed Books of hours were already widely available.
Online Since: 06/08/2009
This highly unusual textual object contains three pastiches of cut-out colored initials and twelve Flemish miniatures from the second half of the 16th century, glued to newer parchment pages and outlined during the 19th century, such that the composite images are presented as if they were painted on a single, matted page. The miniatures were taken from a personal prayer book that belonged to Anne of Cleves (1515-1557).
Online Since: 07/31/2007
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
A collection of German prayers, most likely copied for a lay patron ca. 1500-1520.
Online Since: 04/26/2007
According to the colophon at the end of the Gospel of John, this copy was completed by Ibrāhīm ibn Būluṣ ibn Dāwūd al-Ḥalabī in Cairo. It is written in a clear nasḫī script; the illustrations, provided by the Aleppo illustrator and icon-painter Ğirğis bin Ḥanāniyā, portray the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as 43 scenes from the life of Jesus. The Arabic title, "This book is the holy, pure Gospel and the illuminating, shining light", is given at the end of the Gospel of John. This codex is currently on long-term loan from the Pandeli family to the library of St. Gall Abbey.
Online Since: 11/03/2009
This liturgical manuscript (Sharaknots or Sharakan) contains a collection of over a thousand hymns, organized into eight groups, for use in the Armenian Church. Many of these hymns were composed by prominent figures in the Armenian Church, while others are early translations from sacred hymns of the early Christian Church. The texts include Armenian khaz notation. This manuscript was written by the scribe Simeon in the year 1662 in the city of Brnakot, in the province of Siounik, an important center for liturgical manuscript production in southern Armenia. The book decoration consists of 8 headpieces, 120 ornamental and zoomorphic initials, and numerous simple red initials. The manuscript features its original Moroccan limp vellum binding with blind tooling.
Online Since: 07/04/2012
Liturgical manuscript (Sharaknots), written by the copyist Awetis in Khizan in the province Van in the year 1647 (1096 according to the Armenian calendar). It contains 11 large miniatures and 28 miniatures in the margins, executed and signed by the painter Yovanes Gharietsi. He was one of the most fascinating artists of the late School of Vaspurakan. The manuscript is part of certain hymnals, created for private customers in the region of Lake Van and characterized by bright colors and interlace ornamentation. The manuscript features the Armenian Khaz-notation. The text contains the collection of hymns in use in the Armenian Church, in the same order as in a Hymnarium printed as a first edition in Amsterdam in the year 1664. Three more hymnals of this type, also the result of the collaboration of these two artists, are known: two in Jerusalem and one in Jerewan. Attached in the beginning and at the end are two sheets of parchment containing a part of the Proprium de Sanctis from a Latin breviary from the 13th/14th century.
Online Since: 04/23/2013
Sephardic Bible in Hebrew, produced in the first half of the 14th century in Spain, probably in Castile. The manuscript opens and closes with Masoretic lists (ff. IIr-IXv and 463v to 466v), which, framed by illuminated borders, form “carpet pages”. The biblical text, copied into one or two columns, is accompanied by the Small and Large Masora (rules from the rabbinic tradition regarding the reading and vocalization of the sacred texts), which were written in tiny letters in the margins and in the gutters. These micrographic elements are sometimes enlivened in the lower margins of the pages (about 70 occurrences) or on all four sides of the pages (e.g., ff. 42r-43r, 461v-463r), where they form magnificent geometrical figures and interlace. The first biblical books are introduced by titles that are executed in browned gold on background fields of pink and blue with white scrollwork (f. 1v/Gn, 33v/Ex, 59v/Nb, 77v/Dt, 102v/Js, 125v/Jg). According to a note of ownership (f. 467v) dated 1367 (?), this Hebrew Bible was probably owned by David ha-Cohen Coutinho, member of a family of Portuguese marranos. In the 15th century, it was the property of Moses Abulafia, until his widow sold it, as shown by the sales contract, dated and signed in 1526 in Thessaloniki and placed in the beginning of the book (f. Ir). In the 16th century, the Bible was owned by the Talmudist and Rabbi Abraham di Boton of Thessaloniki (f. 467v). Thereafter its presence is attested in the Zaradel Synagogue of Alexandria in the 19th century (R. Gottheil, „Some Hebrew Manuscripts in Cairo“ in: Jewish Quarterly Review 17, 1905, p. 648). After the Bible entered the fine arts market, it has been in a private collection since 1996.
Online Since: 12/14/2017
This parchment fragment from Martin le Franc's Champion des Dames (Book I, v. 3901-v. 4062 + Book II, v. 4313-v. 4470) is from the 15th century. The text corresponds to that of the Deschaux edition (1999). Carefully copied in two columns, the different stanzas of the poem are introduced by colored initials, alternating red and blue, and by champie initials. Book II opens with a decorated initial on a gold background, badly worn due to the fragment's use as binding for a land register during the 17th century. This land register belonged to Jaques Etienne Clavel, co-ruler of Marsens, Ropraz and Brenles (fol. 2r).
Online Since: 12/14/2018
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome in Latin, with a calendar in French and a selection of saints venerated in Paris. It contains 17 miniatures created in Paris around 1408/10 in the artistic circle of the Master of Boucicaut, one of the most influential illuminators of the early 15th century. The Master of the Mazarine contributed to the ornamentation, as did pseudo-Jacquemart, who belongs to an older generation of artists and whose contribution can be recognized in the famous Books of Hours of the Duke of Berry. The image of David was painted on an inserted double leaf; it can be attributed to a follower of the artist who illuminated the Breviary of John the Fearless.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours in Latin and French, written in the second quarter of the 15th century in Paris, but not illuminated until 1490 in Paris or perhaps in Tours by various artists who shared the work. Two miniatures as well as the decoration of the calendar and of the Office of the Dead are the work of an artist from the circle of the Maître François, a close collaborator of the Master of Jacques of Besançon, who honors Notre-Dame in a veduta of the city of Paris (f. 93r). The luminous colors and the monumental forms of the other miniatures attest to the influence of Jean Bourdichon of Tours. This artist can probably be considered responsible for the Master of the Chronique Scandaleuse, who, during the creation of this manuscript, was still working under the guidance of Jean Bourdichon.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar in French. The miniatures are framed by borders decorated with plants that were executed with great botanical precision. This examplar from the late period of the French Book of hours, preserved in its entirety, was illuminated by an important master from this late phase of French book illumination. He was influenced by the Master of Claude de France und was recently identified as the Master of the Lallemant-Boethius. In the small pictures on the borders, he tries to compete with Jean Bourdichon, who introduced realistic flower borders in the marginal decoration of Anne of Brittany's Grandes Heures and in other major works. The Master of the Lallemant-Boethius is also guided by Flemish book illumination of his time. On f. 1r one can read the name of Agnès le Dieu, the owner of the codex in the year 1605.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar containing a selection of saints for Langres. The manuscript was illuminated and dated in 1524 by a Master of Bénigne Serre, who was known by the name of his client, a highly-ranked official of the King of Burgundy. The artist was a hitherto unknown illuminator from the circle of the “1520s The Hours Workshop,” which framed the miniatures with Renaissance architecture or added naturalistic flowers and animals to borders. This manuscript contains a number of unusual images, e.g., for the Lauds of the Office of the Virgin, the meeting of Joachim and Anna at the city gate of Jerusalem replaces the usual image of the Visitation. In the 18th century, the manuscript was owned by the family Bretagne of Dijon, whose family members wrote a „Livre de raison“ on several appended pages.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
Two artists, active around 1440/50, contributed to the decorations of this book of hours: the older one, who created only the three miniatures on f. 13v, 105v and 140v, is part of the “Goldrankenstil,” while the younger one is characterized by greater physicality and more vibrant coloring because he was influenced by the innovations of the contemporary painting of the van Eyck brothers. This second artist is responsible for the completion of the Turin-Milan Hours in the year 1440 and also contributed to the Llangattock Book of hours. In 1813 the manuscript was given to the prioress of the Cloister of the Bernardine Sisters of Oudenaarde by the Prince of Broglie.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar for the use in Poitiers. All main miniatures are by the Master of Poitiers 30, whose name is derived from two of the miniatures he created in a missal for use in Poitiers, which is kept in the local city library. Earlier he was known by the name Master of Adelaide of Savoy, for whom he created the book of hours Ms. 76 in the Condé Museum in Chantilly. He belonged to the circle of the Master of Jouvenel des Ursins, but was most active in Poitiers, where he influenced later local book illumination.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A latin book of hours with calendar, containing a selection of saints for Paris as well as several French prayers. At the end of the book, there are tables for the changing holidays beginning with the year 1640; thus it can be assumed that the manuscript was completet around this time. The majority of the miniatures are by the Master of Coëtivy, who presumably also created all compositions and thus also the preliminary drawings. The hand of a second illuminator, who can be identified as the Master of Dreux Budé, is found in the faces of Mary in the image of the birth of Jesus (f. 83v), the Adoration of the Magi (f. 92v) and the Coronation of the Virgin (f. 107r).
Online Since: 12/20/2012
The manuscript contains a psalter for use in Evreux, episcopal city and preferred residence of the kings of Navarre.This is a liturgical book which contains the calendar, the litany and the Office of the Dead, that is, the most important texts of a book of hours. The illumination is the work of an artist who was active in Paris around 1400 and who depicts elegant figures in a picturesque landscape, still on a gold background, while his color palette is already that of the 15th century. This hand is to be attributed to the workshop of the Parisian Josephus-Master. At least two miniatures – the jester miniature (f. 44r) and the miniature of the Office of the Dead (f. 131r) – are attributed to the pseudo-Jacquemart.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
This book of hours, addressed to a woman, contains an entry that can only be read in ultraviolet light (f. 27v) and that mentions a Jaquette de la Barre; she probably was part of the Parisian family of organ builders who, between 1401 and 1404, built the organ of Notre-Dame. The miniatures were created around 1410 by a leading Parisian master, who can be identified as the Master of the Mazarin. Subsequently, borders were added to the manuscript, probably by a Provençal hand. Several scenes stand out from the conventional iconographic program: instead of the penance of David, there is the glory of Christ on Judgment Day (f. 101r); instead of the Mass for the dead, there is the Raising of Lazarus (f. 141r); also unusual is the depiction of the prayer of St. Jerome (f. 139v) in the full vestments of a cardinal.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
Various artists contributed to the illumination of this book of hours. Some simple miniatures are the work of an artist who trained in the circle of the Master of John the Fearless. Many faces of Mary were created by the Master of Marguerite of Orléans, an important book illuminator around 1430. In the 15th century, the manuscript belonged to Guillaume Prevost, as attested by the baptismal entries written in the “Livre de raison” (f. 186v).
Online Since: 12/20/2012
In addition to the unusual book for King Charles VIII described in Utopia Cod. 111, there is another book of hours that was painted by the same artist. Its border decoration remained incomplete, and all the large images follow not the usual canon of images for books of hours, but instead depict unconventional motifs. What strikes the eye in both manuscripts is the motif of the family tree of Adam, which creates an optical link between the volumes and which is not found in other of the book decorator's manuscripts. The almost identical mass of foliage also suggests that the two volumes could belong together, produced for the king at a certain time interval from one another. The premature and unexpected death of Charles VIII after his accident at the Château d'Amboise may explain why the second manuscript was never completed.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This book of hours was a present from the Parisian publisher Anthoine Vérard to the French King Charles VIII (1470-1498). The monarch was one of the most important figures for the French book trade from 1480 on. His collecting is inextricably linked with the luxurious printed materials of the bookseller and publisher Anthoine Vérard. Especially remarkable are the borders: the margins of all pages are decorated with a pictorial narrative of eight consecutive images showing events from the Old and New Testament. Also noteworthy is the didactic value of this book of hours, since each pair of images has a commentary of several explanatory verses in Middle French. Stylistically this book is closely related to Cod. 110, which was probably also created for the king and was by the same artist.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This volume is part of an antiphonary in three volumes that was produced in duplicate for the liturgy of Bern's Collegiate Church of St. Vincent, founded in 1484/85. The manuscript contains the entire winter portion of the Temporale, of the Sanctorale and of the Commune Sanctorum according to the liturgy of the Diocese of Lausanne. This volume is the duplicate of volume I, today held in the Catholic parish Saint-Laurent in Estavayer-le-Lac. Originally the volume was decorated with eight initials, of which only two remain (p. 71 and p. 429); they are attributed to the illuminator and copyist Konrad Blochinger, who also added corrections and annotations of the text to the other volumes of this group. After the introduction of the Reformation in the year 1528 and the subsequent secularization of the chapter, the entire group of antiphonaries was sold: four were sold to the city of Estavayer-le-Lac and were used there for the liturgy of the Collegiate Church of St. Lorenz; the other two — including this manuscript — reached Vevey under circumstances that remain unexplained. They are currently held in the historical museum there.
Online Since: 06/25/2015
This volume is part of an antiphonary in three volumes that was produced in duplicate for the liturgy of Bern's Collegiate Church of St. Vincent, founded in 1484/85. It contains the Proprium de sanctis and the Commune Sanctorum of the summer portion (March 25 to November 25) according to the liturgy of the Diocese of Lausanne. This volume is the duplicate of volume II, today held in the Catholic parish Saint-Laurent in Estavayer-le-Lac. The three miniatures (p. 207, p. 271 and p. 397) that still adorn this volume are attributed to an itinerant artist who was active in Switzerland — in Fribourg, Bern, and Sion —, and afterwards in Piedmont and in the Aosta Valley. He is known by the names Master of the Breviary of Jost von Silenen and Miniaturist of Georges de Challant. After the introduction of the Reformation in the year 1528 and the subsequent secularization of the chapter, the entire group of antiphonaries was sold: four were sold to the city of Estavayer-le-Lac and were used there for the liturgy of the Collegiate Church of St. Lorenz; the other two — including this manuscript — reached Vevey under circumstances that remain unexplained. They are currently held in the historical museum there.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This manuscript contains a Dominican breviary preceded by a calendar with various necrological annotations. The codex was written by Cordula von Schönau, Dominican at the Abbey of St. Katharina in St. Gall, who signed the inside front cover and wrote the dated ex-libris on the first flyleaf. Cordula von Schönau's hand can also be found in Cod. Sang. 406 of the Abbey Library of Saint Gall, in Ms. 22 of the Leopold-Sophien-Bibliothek in Überlingen, and in Wil in Ms. 3 as well as in several parts of the “Schwesternbuch” (Book of sisters) and of the “Konventsbuch” (Chronicle).
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This manuscript contains various liturgical and ascetic texts. The volume was written by various more or less practiced hands; one wrote a date .I.5.I.3. with his initials J. ae. (f. 47v), another only his initials J. h. L. (f. 101v). A parchment fragment of a document from the bishop of Konstanz from the year 1441 was used as binding.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
The first half of this manuscript contains two sermons on charity translated from Latin. They were copied in 1589 by a scribe who signed as F. C. A. (f. 7v). The rest of the manuscript is the work of two different scribes who were active in the second half of the 15th century; this part contains a sermon for members of religious orders (ff. 8r-30r) and a treatise about sin and repentance (ff. 31r-49r). A calendar page (November/December, 14th century) containing several obituary notes was used for the binding.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This manuscript contains the full text of the Pentateuch and haftarot (weekly readings from the Prophets). The manuscript has six illuminated initial word panels found at the beginning of each of the books of the Pentateuch and at the heading of the haftarot. The semi-cursive Sephardic Hebrewscript and other codicological features of this manuscript point toward a Sephardic origin from the second half of the fifteenth century. It is likely that the Braginsky Pentateuch was the work of an artist who was active in the Lisbon School, which is known for producing around 30 distinctive manuscripts characterized by their largely non-figurative decoration: filigree initial word panels, floral and abstract pen work in purple ink, and multicolored dots and flowers.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
The "Counting of the Omer" is the ritual counting of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. In this manuscript, these days and their corresponding numbers, are inscribed in 49 quatrefoils. F. 18r shows a menorah with the seven verses of Psalm 67 inscribed in microscript on the seven arms of the candelabrum. The scribe Baruch ben Shemaria from Brest-Litovsk (Belarus) created this manuscript in Amsterdam in 1795 for Aaron ben Abraham Prinz, of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, as noted on the title page. The drawing on f. 1r, a page of calligraphic decoration, depicts the giant Samson as Atlas, since, according to rabbinical tradition, he was endowed with superhuman strength.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Roman rite, generally known as Nussah Roma, is the oldest order of prayer outside the ancient lands of Israel and Babylonia, retaining many old Palestinian traditions. The ornamentation of this manuscript includes many attractive initial word panels, decorated with geometric designs and floral pen work, usually in red and blue ink. The illuminated opening page contains the initial word Ribbon (Master [of all Worlds]), which is set within a rectangular panel with red and blue filigree pen work and gold-leaf letters. In the bottom border there is an unidentified family emblem depicting a rampant lion. The manuscript was copied by Samson ben Eljah Halfan, a member of the Halfan family of scribes and scholars, whose ancestors were among a group of Jews who were expelled from France in 1394 and found refuge in Piedmont, in northern Italy.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This codex contains prayers for the circumcision ceremony. The ceremony, depicted on f. 10r, takes place in a synagogue. The prophet Elijah, who will come in order to announce the advent of the Messiah, is considered to be present at the ceremony. An illustration on f. 18r depicts the blessing over wine. The decoration is the work of the illustrator Uri Fayvesh ben Isaac Segal, who was a prominent representative of the so-called Hamburg-Altona school for the production of 18th-century illuminated manuscripts, and who, according to current research, produced at least five more manuscripts in addition to this one. The title page bears the name of the owner, Joseph ben Samuel, as well as a not yet identified coat of arms with the Order of the Elephant, the highest order of the Royal House of Denmark.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
Apart from the daily prayers, this manuscript also contains kabbalistic commentaries and kavvanot (mystical intentions). In the kabbalistic school of Safed (Upper Galilee), the mystical aspect of prayer, as “the vehicle of the soul's mystical ascent to God,” is of great importance. The authorship of this prayer books is generally attributed to Isaac ben Solomon Luria (1534–1572). The manuscript begins with an unfinished title page that contains a decorative floral border in red, yellow and green, but without any text. In the ornamental colorful border there is the inscription “Samuel ha-Kohen, cantor in Broda,” who is either the copyist or perhaps the person for whom the book was written. The manuscript was a part of the collection of Naphtali Herz van Biema (1836-1901), an Amsterdam collector, whose books were auctioned in 1904. Many of these books had previously belonged to his wife's family of prominent orthodox philanthropists and bibliophiles known as the Amsterdam Lehren family.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This codex contains prayers, blessings and poems for a wedding ceremony, following the custom of the Jews of the island of Corfu. Additional poems are by a variety of poets, some by writers of the Hebrew Golden Age in medieval Spain, others by local authors, such as Elieser de Mordo. This manuscript is of great significance due to a cycle of sixty full-page illustrations from the Book of Genesis, executed in gouache. The illustrations are accompanied by Hebrew inscriptions, usually biblical verses identifying the scenes. They are the work of an artist, probably trained in Venice, who added his monogram in different variants (MC or M.C. MF.) to almost all of the illustrations. The left to right sequence of the pages suggests that a Christian artist must have first created the illustrations, and that the Hebrew texts were added afterwards. This manuscript from the first half of the 18th century, created on the island of Corfu, may have been a bridal gift from a member of the de Mordo family, a family which played an important role on the island at a time when the Venetian rule had to be defended against Ottoman attacks.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The titel of this mohel book (circumcision book) from 1716 is Book of the Lord's Mystery with the [commentary] "Golden Scepter"; based on the style and script of the scribe (Sofer), it can be attributed to Aryeh ben Judah Leib of Trebitsch (Moravia), who was active in Vienna. The manuscript contains several illustrations of various scenes: among others on the title page there is a depiction of a group of people in a synagog engaged in a discussion. It is noteworthy that not only men, but also women are present. The second folio shows the archangel Raphael with the young Tobias, who is carrying home a fish to cure his father's blindness. The archangel Raphael as guardian angel of children is a motif that usually occurs only in Christian art. Aryeh ben Judah Leib might have used an unknown Catholic model in order to better illustrate the protective function of circumcision for Jewish boys. In his writing, Aryeh ben Judah was guided by Amsterdam letters and thus initiated the fashion of be-otijjot Amsterdam ("with Amsterdam letters"), producing manuscripts with Amsterdam (print) fonts.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
In addition to the Seder Birkat ha-Mazon ("Grace after Meals"), this mid-18th century manuscript contains the Birkhot ha-Nehenin ("Blessings over Enjoyments"), the Shalosh Mitzvot Nashim ("Three Commandments for Women") and the Seder Keri'at Shema al ha-Mittah ("Reading of the Shema before retiring at night"). The passages relating to the three commandments imposed on women indicate that the book was meant as a bridal gift. Besides the image on the front page, the book contains 22 smaller colored illustrations. A Hebrew phrase on the the title page refers to the place of origin, Deutschkreutz in Burgenland (Austria). Based on stylistic characteristics of the script and decoration, the manuscript can be attributed to the scribe and illustrator Aaron Wolf Herlingen.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The psalms in this manuscript are subdivided according to the days of the week on which they are to be read and, with exception of the psalms for Friday, these daily sections have decorated monochrome or multicolored initial word panels. The manuscript has an architectural title page representing Moses and Aaron standing in arches. Particularly impressive is the picture at the beginning of the first Psalm where, following the initial word ashre, on folio 6v is a depiction of King David sitting outside on the terrace of a palace, playing the harp while looking at an open volume, which most probably represents his psalms. This Braginsky manuscript has been copied and decorated by Moses Judah Leib ben Wolf Broda of Trebitsch, who is also responsible for perhaps the most famous decorated Hebrew manuscript of the eighteenth century – the Von Geldern Haggadah of 1723. Including this Braginsky psalter, a total of seven manuscripts by Moses Judah Leib are known, produced between 1713-1723. The brown mottled calf binding carries the emblem of the De Pinto family of Amsterdam tooled in gold on both the front and the back covers.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
The anonymous hymn of praise to the Creator Perek schira has been preserved in hundreds of manuscripts. Most of the important 18th-century Hebrew book illustrators illustrated the hymn. This manuscript was written for Hertz ben Leib Darmstadt of Frankfurt am Main and contains pen drawings by Meshulam Zimmel ben Moses from Polna/Bohemia; however, he probably produced this manuscript in Vienna.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This Miscellany for Life Cycle Events from the last third of the 15th century was probably a wedding gift. It was copied by Leon ben Joshua de Rossi of Cesena. It contains: prayers for circumcision; a formula for a marriage contract from Correggio 1452 (without names); texts for marriage rituals, including a hymn with the acrostic El'azar; a marriage contract, concluded in Parma in 1420 between Judah, son of Elhanan of Ascoli Piceno, and Stella, daughter of Solomon of Mantua; prayers recited at the cemetery with a Grace after Meals for mourners; a ritual for avoiding bad dreams; Ka'arat kesef, an ethical poem by the 13th-century Provençal poet Jehoseph ben Hanan ben Nathan Ezobi; finally, added in a different hand, a personal prayer by Moses Latif for Joab Immanuel Finzi. Immediately following the contract, there is a depiction of a bridal couple (f. 10v). The bride's headdress, clothing and veil correspond to the contemporary fashion of Ferrara, which confirms that the manuscript is of Italian origin, perhaps even from Ferrara.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This Passover Haggadah with a Yiddish translation of the hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r) was copied and illustrated by Nathan ben Simson of Mezeritsch (now Velke Mezirici, Tschechische Republik). It contains, among others, a decorated title page, a cycle depicting ceremonies performed during the Jewish Passover seder, nine text illustrations, and a cycle for the concluding hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r).
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Massekhet Purim contained in this manuscript is a Purim parody by the Provençal author and translator Kalonymus ben Kalonymus (Arles 1286- after 1328), who wrote this work in Rome in the early 1320s. The text is about eating, drinking and drunkenness during Purim. The author humorously imitated the text and style of the Talmud. The illustrations include depictions of harlequins, of a street musician and of seven playing cards represented as trompe l'œil, which is rarely found in Hebrew manuscripts. The codex was copied in Amsterdam in 1752, at a time when this work was very popular in the Ashkenazic Jewish community.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This manuscript is a masterpiece of Jewish book art by Aaron Wolf Herlingen, an artist born around 1700 in Gewitsch, Moravia, who worked in Pressburg (now Bratislava), Vienna, and perhaps elsewhere. About 40 manuscripts signed by him are extant today. This manuscript is ornamented with 60 painted illustrations and three word panels with decorated initials. The title page depicts Moses and Aaron on either side of the title. The area below the title shows the Israelites wandering through the desert and manna falling from heaven, alongside Moses, Aaron and their sister Miriam. Such a very unusual depiction of Miriam suggests that this Haggadah was produced for a woman of that name. At the end of the text there are two songs - one in Hebrew, the other in Aramaic - Echad mi-yodea and Had Gadya, with their respective Yiddish translations.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Hijman Binger Haggadah is a typical example of Hebrew manuscript decoration in Central and Northern Europe at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. Picture cycles accompany the written content. The illustrations show similarities to later Haggadot by Joseph ben David of Leipnik, such as the Haggadah from 1739 (Braginsky Collection B317) and suggest that a Haggadah by this artist served as Hijman Binger's model. Another rare feature of this manuscript is a map of the Holy Land, which was added at the very end (f. 52).
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This book of prayers for the Mohel, who performs circumcisions, consists of only a few leaves; according to a note on the title page, it was a gift from Mendel Rosenbaum to his brother-in-law Joseph Elsas of Nitra (now in Slovakia, but formerly in Hungary). The manuscript is signed by Leib Zahr Sofer (scribe); the work of this unknown artist shows a close formal relationship to that of the most important calligrapher and illustrator working in Nitra in the early 19th century, Mordecai ben Josl (alias Marcus Donath). The final page has a calligram with the figure of Moses, holding the Tablets of the Law in one hand and pointing to the Pentateuch with the other hand.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This codex was copied by Eliezer Sussman Mezeritsch and illustrated by Charlotte Rothschild (1807-1859); in addition to the Hebrew text, it contains a German translation. The Haggadah was created by the artist for her uncle Amschel Mayer Rothschild on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This is the only Hebrew manuscript known to have been illuminated by a woman. Charlotte Rothschild was inspired by Christian and Jewish works, e.g., medieval manuscripts, the biblical cycle painted in the Vatican loggias by the workshop of Raphael and the copperplate engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695. Charlotte Rothschild left her initials in only a single picture, the seder scene of the Passover celebration, on the back of a chair in the foreground of the picture (p. 42). This manuscript presumably served as model for the famous artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882). In his memoirs he recalls that as a student he created sketches for Charlotte Rothschild.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
Magnificent manuscript with the text of the Haggadah; each page is decorated with rich borders of floral elements and with pen drawings in gold and lapis lazuli surrounding the text. Stylistically the decoration closely emulates Persian miniatures, especially works from the school of Shiraz of the period between 1560 and 1580. The execution of this work is attributed to Victor Bouton, born 1819 in Lorraine and active in Paris as illustrator, heraldic painter and engraver. This attribution is based on another, also sumptuously decorated manuscript signed by the artist, which Edmond James de Rothschild had commissioned as a gift for his mother and which contains a biographical note that this artist had received the enormous sum of 32,000 gold francs from a wealthy Jew for a Haggadah. The only illustration (f. 1v) depicts the celebration on the first evening of Passover; a group of five men and two women in oriental dress sit a the Seder table while the master of the house is reciting the benediction over the wine.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
Until the Braginsky Leipnik Haggadah was acquired for the Braginsky Collection in 2007, this Haggadah was not known in scholarly literature. It was illustrated by Joseph ben David of Leipnik in 1739. Like most of the Haggadot at that time, this exemplar is largely dependent on the copper engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadot of 1695 and 1712. The characteristics of Joseph ben David's illustrations, whose work is well-known, are rendered here in an exemplary manner. The color palette is dominated by subtle gradations of color and shades of pastel. Frequently recurring motifs in his Haggadot, based on older models, are the illustrations of the Paschal lamb, the matzah and the bitter herbs. Eating these is part of the feast of Passover, during which it is tradition to read the Haggadah together.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This thin little book with a gilt embossed leather binding contains the prayers for the celebration on the evening before the new moon; it was commissioned by Elieser (Lazarus) von Geldern in Vienna. Following convention, the title page shows Moses and Aaron. The writer and illustrator Nathan ben Simson from Meseritsch (Velké Meziříčí) in Moravia was among the most prominent artists of illustrated Hebrew manuscripts in the first half of the 18th century. Between 1723 and 1739, he created at least 23 such works.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This miniature book contains the Grace after Meals with the usual supplements for Hanukkah and Purim, as well as various blessings, such as the Shema prayer before retiring at night or for the enjoyment of certain things. The book has an illustrated title page, 19 individual illustrations, five decorated boxes containing individual letters or initial words and a decorated text passage. On the title page the artist did not record his name, but did note that the manuscript was created in Nikolsburg (Czechia) in 1725 during the reign of Emperor Charles VI. Like other Birkat ha-mason, this one, too, was written for a woman: a fly-leaf, added later, contains an elaborate ornament with a dedication to Fradche, wife of Moses Gundersheim. A comparison with the writing and illustrations in a similar work from 1728 in the Kongelige Bibliotek in Copenhagen (Cod. Hebr. XXXII) shows that both Birkat ha-mason manuscripts were created by the same artist, namely Samuel ben Zewi Hirsch Drenitz, who was active in Nikolsburg.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Until 1800, the University of Padua was the most important center for Jewish students, whereas the University of Bologna's registers list no Jews. Doctoral diplomas served as an entrance ticket for Jewish doctors into the modern society of nobles and bourgeois. The University of Padua issued its graduates hand-written and decorated diplomas in Latin. The initial page of the diploma for Israel Baruch Olmo shows the emblem of the Olmo family: an elm, flanked by a bubbling fountain and a stalk of grain.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This miniature prayer book is the result of a unique collaboration of two of the most eminent Viennese representatives of 18th century Jewish book art. Aaron Wolf Herlingen wrote and illustrated the title page, Meschullam Simmel ben Moses from Polná created the other drawings and probably also wrote the prayer texts. Evidently this little book was a wedding present. The miniature prayer book contains a total of nine illustrations of the text as well as four richly decorated initial words. The prayer book belonged to the “respectable and wise maid Hindl”. The manuscript also contains entries regarding the birth of her children between 1719 and 1741.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Over the more than 650 years that have passed since this manuscript of the Mishneh Torah was created, it has passed through many hands. Various annotations and citations indicate that important Ashkenazic rabbis hat access to the manuscript, for example Jakob Weil, a well-known 15th century scholar and rabbi in Nürnberg, Augsburg, Bamberg and Erfurt. Later notes of ownership make clear that the manuscript reached such distant places as the Ottoman Empire, England, Kurdistan and Jerusalem. The page 1021 of the Mischne Tora-manuscript presents a full-page illustration with decorated portal architecture in Gothic style. Two thin pillars, lengthened in Mannerist style, support a heavy tympanum, decorated with floral scrollwork on a blue background, in which gold letters spell out the chapter title Sefer schoftim (“Book of Judges”). There are five medallions, two of which show the silhouette of an attacking bird of prey.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
Until it was acquired by the Braginsky Collection, this little book with the Birkat ha-mason from 1741 had not been known to research. Clearly it had originally been meant for a woman, probably as a wedding present. In addition to the title page with an architectural frame and the figures of Moses and Aaron, there are six more illustrations in the text, among them a very rare depiction of a woman only partially immersed in a ritual bath (12v) and also a rather conventional depiction of a woman reading the Shema prayer before retiring at night (17r). This little book was copied and illustrated by Jakob ben Juda Leib Schammasch from Berlin. He is known as one of the most productive Jewish manuscript artists in Northern Germany.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
At the time this ketubah was produced, most of the Gibraltar's retail trade was conducted by the local Sephardic community; many of its members came from the adjacent parts of North Africa. The present Gibraltar contract belongs to an early period of local ketubah decoration, although some of its features foretell later developments. The upper section depicts a pair of lions crouched back-to-back, overlaid with circles containing the abbreviated Ten Commandments. The composition is reminiscent of the top of Torah arks, and indeed it is topped with a crown, intended as a Torah Crown. The crouching lions are flanked by vases of flowers. In the side borders, beneath theatrical drapery and trumpets suspended from ribbons, fanciful column bases are surmounted by urns. Several elements in the marriage contract are characteristic of Gibraltar ketubot. The initial word of the wedding day, Wednesday, as was common, is enlarged and ornamented. Also typical of Gibraltar is the ornamental Latin monogram at bottom center. Comprising the letters SJB, it refers to the bridal couple's first (Solomon, Judith) and last (Benoleil) initials.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This marriage contract was made in one of the most important Jewish communities of Italy, the Adriatic seaport of Ancona, which also was a leading center of ketubbah illustrations. The main episode at top center, depicts the prophet Elijah ascending to heaven, riding in his fiery horse-drawn chariot, while his amazed disciple, Elisha, watches below. This scene thus refers to the first name of the bridegroom, Elijah Mordecai, son of the late Judah mi-Cerrata. The other two biblical episodes appear in the cartouches at the center of each of the side borders. At right, the scene of the Triumph of Mordecai, refers to the second name of the bridegroom, Mordecai. Depicted at left is the scene of David holding the head of Goliath; it is to be understood as a reference to David Camerino, father of the bride Tova, daughter of David, son of Abraham Obedai Camerino of Senigallia.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The practice of decorating marriage contracts was revived in early seventeenth-century Amsterdam under the influence of Italian ketubah artists. In the late 1640s, the well-known Jewish engraver Shalom Italia created a copper engraving for ketubot of the Spanish-Portuguese community, which subsequently inspired an anonymous local artist to create a new modified version of this border, present in this Braginsky Collection ketubah of 1668. For more than two hundred years this border adorned Sephardic ketubot produced in Hamburg, Bayonne, London, New York and Curaçao.The calligraphic text commemorates the marriage of a known Sephardic physician, Daniel Tzemah Aboab.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This decorated ketubah, as well as Braginsky Collection K29 produced just six years earlier, represent the height of ketubah illustration in Ancona. The text of this ketubah is centered under the arch supported by a pair of ornamental columns. While arches were commonly used as framing devices in ketubah decorations since the earliest known ketubot from the Cairo Genizah, the gold letters inscribed here against the blue spandrels provide an additional meaning. The six square Hebrew letters, an acronym for Psalms 118:20: “This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous may enter”, signify that the bridal couple is symbolically passing through the heavenly gate into a sanctified stage in their life. A depiction of the sacrifice of Isaac, an allusion to the bridegroom whose second name is Isaac, is located in a cartouche at the top center. This scene, a symbol of faithfulness and messianic promise that appears on many italian ketubot, has been the most popular biblical story in Jewish art over the ages. The female figure beneath has not been identified so far.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The ornamentation of this ketubah, which commemorates a wedding between two important families of the Roman ghetto, Toscano and Di Segni, reflects the golden age of ketubah decoration in Rome. The decorative frame is divided into inner and outer borders. Panels adorned with flowers on painted gold fields flank the sides of the text. In the outer frames, crisscrossed micrographic inscriptions form diamond-shaped spaces, each of which contains a large flower. The design in the inner and the outer frames are surrounded by minuscule square Hebrew letters, presenting the entire four chapters of the book of Ruth.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The Roman ketubot (sing. ketubah), the Jewish marriage contracts, in general are distinguished by their elegant Hebrew calligraphy, decorative designs, and attractive appearance. The most popular decorative themes include biblical episodes, allegorical representations, and delicate micrographic designs. The contractual text of this Braginsky Collection ketubah is surrounded by an architectural frame featuring a pair of marble columns entwined by gold leaves and topped with Corinthian capitals. A large cartouche rests on the arch supported by the columns. In it is a pastoral landscape in which stand a man wearing a long robe and a bare-breasted woman, joined around their neck by a long chain of pearls with a heart-shaped pendant. Enhancing the allusion of matrimonial harmony are family emblems of the bridal couple that appear next to each other in a cartouche above the central allegorical image. The emblem at the right, above the central allegorical image, depicting a rampant lion climbing a palm tree, is that of the groom's family, Caiatte, whereas the emblem at the left, portraying a rampant lion touching a white column, belongs to the family of the bride, De Castro. Finally, the influence of Italian culture is demonstrated in the cartouche at the bottom, with the depiction of Cupid lying next to his bow and quiver.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
In the 17th century, the Jewish community of Casale Monferrato had between 500 and 600 members. The widow Giuditta Leonora, daughter of Abraham Segre, and Moses, son of the deceased Isaak Katzighin, the bridal couple named in this marriage contract, both belonged to the wealthiest families of the community. The contract is surrounded by an ornamental frame. The inner oval frame, which contains six gilded rosettes, is decorated with flowers. Its corner segments each contain a large medallion depicting the four Aristotelian elements (air, water, fire and earth) and smaller medallions depicting, in a counterclockwise direction, the twelve Signs of the Zodiac. The outer frame contains gilt knot motifs as a symbol of the eternal “love knot”; the cartouches in the four corners depict allegories of the four seasons. In addition there are representations of the five senses. The tenth cartouche, at the top, intended for family crests, was never filled in.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
The Karaite ketubah, unlike the traditional Rabbinite contract, is written entirely in Hebrew and invariably comprises of two parts: shetar nissu'in and shetar ketubah. The Karaite wedding recorded in this ketubah was celebrated in the important community of Qirq-Yer in the Crimean Peninsula (West Ukraine). The two sections of the text are set inside frames painted with gold and surrounded by flowers. In the tradition of many Sephardic, Italian, and Eastern ketubot, initial words are decorated and appropriate biblical passages are included in the inner frame. The dowry list in this ketubah is longer than the marriage deed text in the first section. In accordance with the Karaite custom, many respected witnesses (here 12) were invited to sign the contract.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This marriage contract documents the agreements at the betrothal of two Samaritans, Temima, daughter of Isaac, son of ha-Levi Amram, and Abraham, son of Joseph Denufta (ha-Dinfi). Although Samaritans believe only in the Pentateuchand recognize only Moses as prophet, and although the Torah does not mandate that the rights of the wife be protected by a ketubah,the Samaritans adopted thisrabbinic custombased on Exodus 21:9 and 22:6, which mention a kind of dowry. The language of this document is Samaritan Hebrew, written in Samaritan script, reminiscent of ancient Hebrewscript.Reflecting a strict interpretation of the Second Commandment, the decoration of the ketubah is limited to floral and geometric designs in bright colors.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
The Jewish community on the ‘British Rock of Gibraltar' reached its height in the 19th century. At the time this marriage contract (ketubbah) was produced, most of Gibraltar's retail trade was conducted by the local Sephardic community. By the second half of the 19th century, Gibraltar developed its own characteristic type of marriage contract decoration, with large pieces of parchment ornamented in bright colors. The present ketubbah, of which an identical but later copy is preserved at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (accession n. B72.1066 179/244H, see Sh. Sabar, Mazal Tov: Illuminated Jewish Marriage Contracts from the Israel Museum Collection, Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1993), is framed on either side by garlands of flowers, a luxurious red bow at the bottom and surmounted by a crown, which is reminiscent of the Torah crown, however modeled here on the British royal crown. Three other typical motifs of these Gibraltar ketubbot are the initial word of the traditional Jewish wedding day in Gibraltar, Wednesday (ברביעי), enlarged in gold lettering; the sum of the dowry and increment is a factor of eighteen, a number that is also the propitious word ‘Ḥai' (חי) – ‘life', written here in monumental letters sticking out of the small cursive script and lastly, the ornamental monogram in Latin letters at bottom center, which is comprised here of E C B, referring to the bridal couple's first (Elido and Jimol) and last initials (Ben Atar/ Benatar). Elido (אלידו), son of Isaiah, son of the late Ḥaim, called Ben Atar (בן עתר) is marrying the bride Jimol (ג'ימול), daughter of Joseph, son of the late David, called Qazes (קאזיס), whose dowry is 600 Pesos Fuertes (פיזוס פואירטיס) worth of clothing, jewelry and bed linen and incremented by 600 Pesos Fuertes as a gift, to which is added a piece of land measuring 400 cubits and an additional 600 Pesos Fuertes; the total obligation is 1800 Pesos Fuertes.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
The bridal couple mentioned in this marriage contract, Dona Sarah, daughter of Jacob Guttieres Pegna (Peña) and David, son of the late Benjamin Racah (or Raccah), both are members of wealthy families of the Sephardic community of Livorno. As is customary, the ketubah lists the dowry and increment: It consists of a house on the Piazza delle Erbe with a value of 907 piesas, 6 solidos and 10 dinaros da ocho reali di Spagna, plus 150 piesas in cash and an increment valued at half of the dowry. The unusually large ketubah is decorated with interlace design in the style of “love knots”, floral scrolls, a pair of birds and two winged putti supporting a blank cartouche intended for the family emblem.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This marriage contract between Abraham [Abramo], son of the late Jonathan Judah Finzi, and his bride Ricca, daughter of Gedaliah Senigaglia (Senigallia) names a dowry of 1,800 pezze da ocho reali – 1,200 of which in cash, 300 in gold jewelry, precious stones and pearls, and 300 in clothing and bed linen, and an increment of 360 pezze. The text is in the lower section of the ketubah, inside a monumental double arch. The upper section depicts azure heavens with tiny gold stars. Seated on clouds is the allegory of Fama, who announces the “good name” of the groom with a fanfare.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
As in other ketubot (cf. K69 and K96), here, too, an older frame was reused, one that had been created for a marriage contract 70-80 years earlier. 13 figurative scenes are arranged within an architectural arch; the theme is the biblical story of the wedding of Isaac and Rebecca. The original ketubah may have been created for a bridal couple with these names. The series of scenes begins in the upper right with the Sacrifice of Isaac and continues clockwise with more scenes. At the top Cupid links the two family emblems with a gold ribbon. A „crown of the good name“ tops the scene.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This ketubah was created in Essaouira by the artist David Nissim Elkaïm (see his initials in Latin letters at the lower left) documents the marriage between Solomon, son of Joshua, son of R. Abraham Makhluf ha-Levi Ben-Susan, and Freha, daughter of Makhluf, son of Masoud, son of Naphtali, grandson of Judah Afriat, both of whom were members of Sephardic families. Numerous characteristics refer to this heritage, such as the writing material (parchment), the status of women, the invocation of God to take revenge for the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the European style of the decoration of the frame and the Latin monogram of the bride's name.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
David, son of Daniel Coelho Enriques (or Henriques) and Dona Rachel, daughter of Abraham Enriques Da Costa, were members of a families of religious refugees from Spain and Portugal in the town of Bayonne in Southern France near the Atlantic coast. Like other Sephardic ketubot, their marriage contract does not contain depictions of human figures, which distinguishes them from ones from Italy or Amsterdam. The sharp contrast between dark ink and white parchment, the dots and the hatching give the impression of a copper engraving. The verses, written in elegant, square Sephardic script, contain praises of the bride and groom.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
In this 1722 marriage contract between Yishai (Jesse) Hay, son of R. Samuel Pesach, and Berakha Tova, daughter of R. Isaiah Modena, the artist persuasively links decorative elements of Italian art with Jewish symbols and motifs. The decoration contains countless biblical quotations in micrographic script with reference to wedding and marriage ideals.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
Like the 1753 ketubah from Padua (K76), this contract makes use of an older frame. The family emblems therefore have no relation to the bridal couple, Nathan Solomon, son of Jacob Samuel le-Veit Montel, and Bella Rosa, daughter of Moses le-Veit Barukh (De Benedetti). It is even possible that the original ketubah is not from Alessandria, but from further away, possibly Lugo or Ancona. The inner decorative frame contains a ribbon of cutout designs glued onto green fabric. The outer frame is painted; it is decorated with fanciful flowering twigs, medallions and vignettes. The side and bottom borders contain the Signs of the Zodiac.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
The marriage of Joshua, son of Isaac Hayyim Recanati, and Dona Esther Sarah, daughter of Raphael Recanati, established a union within this widely ramified, wealthy and influential Sephardic family. Written on a document that is painted with illusionistic effect, the actual text of the ketubbah is in the right column and the conditions are in the left column. These are surrounded by rococo architecture in central perspective, with the family emblem at the top flanked by two cupids. The name of the groom is honored with a medallion that depicts Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12–13). Two female figures hold the ends of a gold ribbon with the inscription “Be fruitful and multiply!”
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This ketubbah for the bridal couple Joseph Baruch, son of R. Schabettai Moses Salman and Rachel, daughter of R. Jom Tov Sanguinetti, is evidence of the Piedmontese communities' high achievements in the field of Jewish art. The designs are executed in green and gold. In the central part, a massive triumphal arch supported by twin columns frames the text of the contract. Two trumpet-blowing putti on mobile supports, the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the depictions of birds in the ornamental field at the top were cut from copper engravings, glued onto the ketubbah and then enhanced with a bit of color. The architrave of the triumphal arch holds a silhouette of the rebuilt Jerusalem, formed entirely from micrographic script.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This contract celebrates the marriage of Moses, son of Judah, and Esther, daughter of Isaac, that took place in 1900 in Cochin, South India. According to the Indian caste system, the Jews of Cochin, very few of whom live there today, are divided into three groups: the Malabari (or black Jews) - whose namesake is the Indian coast of Malabar -, merchants who boast of their descent from King Solomon; the Paradesi (or white Jews) who arrived in Kerala during the colonial period; and the Meshuhrarim, originally slaves of Jewish merchants, who converted and were freed. The Jewish community of Cochin distinguished itself in numerous artistic fields, especially in the production of ketubbot. Based on its division into two sections, the present contract is typical of Indian production: the upper part of the document is taken up by lengthy blessings and biblical verses, written in square letters, while the lower part contains the actual wedding contract, written in a semi-cursive script. The decoration, consisting of elegant leafy branches in gold (and in yellow for some leaves), simultaneously frames and highlights the texts with its lustrous and shimmering effects.
Online Since: 06/18/2020
This contract is for the marriage of Solomon, son of Abraham, and Rachel, daughter of Elijahu. The total amount of the dowry was set at 26,000 “lion” piastre. This Ketubbah belongs to a type that was particular to Jerusalem between the 1830s and the 1860s. As in other representations, floral decorations in bright colors frame the lower field of text (with the signatures of the bride and groom in the center and the artfully ornamented monograms of two Jerusalem rabbis) as well as the broad band of the tympanum above. In the center of the tympanum is a bouquet of flowers in a vase, flanked to the left and right by cypress trees and date palms, linking the Jerusalem of the present to the promised Jerusalem.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The bridal couple Solomon, son of Jacob Visino, and Dinah (Gracia), daughter of Samuel Cordovero, were part of the large community of Sephardic Jews living in the thriving, cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic port city of Livorno, where they enjoyed generous privileges bestowed on them by the Medicis, including complete religious freedom. The text is within an architectural frame in the shape of a baroque portal with two double columns. The marriage text is written at right in a Sephardic square script, the conditions at left in a cursive script; these were confirmed by the groom (in Italian) and by the father of the bride (in Spanish). Above the balustrade, two putti hold a cartouche with the emblem of the Visino family. Below that a medallion, framed by the zodiac, shows King Solomon as he joyfully receives the Queen of Sheba.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The bridal couple, Menahem, son of the deceased R. Samuel Paliano, and Angelica, daughter of Moses Paliano, were members of one of the most respected and richest Jewish families in Rome, as attested by the dowry of 2,500 scudi in cash and an increment of 500 scudi. Delicate rose flowers and tendrils, as well as flying and perching birds are arranged around two concentric oval fields. The family emblem of the Paliani (or Pagliani) family appears above and below the larger oval. The inner oval contains the marriage contract in square script in gold. The outer oval is decorated with careful complete copies of the books Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth, with traditional verses and with biblical benedictions. This micrography is artfully shaped into interlaced scrolls and labyrinthine designs. The leopard, the eagle, the stag and the lion symbolize virtues which, according to Pirkei Avot 5:23, Jews should faithfully observe.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This Indian ketubbah is characterized by motifs that were brought to India by Baghdadi Jews from Iraq. The formulaic texts in two adjacent fields, for instance, resemble Islamic prayer niches. Below that is written the content of the contract, which attests that Salih, son of Ezekiel Moses, wed Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin Elijah Jacob, who brought a dowry of 3,195 rupees in gold and silver jewelry, clothing and bed linen. Together with the groom's supplement, the total sum reportedly reached 5,555 rupees. In the borders, flowers and birds alternate, and at the top two tigers hold a medallion with an inscription. Two fish facing each other symbolize happiness and fertility for the bridal couple. A small third fish between them probably refers to the hoped-for progeny.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This promise of marriage between Wilhelm Goldstein and Paula See in Shanghai was confirmed in Chinese before two witnesses, Max Neumann and Gustav Lehmann, as well as Bernhard Cohn, the lawyer for the Jewish community “Communal Association of Central European Jews. Shanghai”. In contrast to the Braginsky collection's other marriage contracts, this is not a Jewish religious document, but an official certificate recording the consent to marry of a couple fleeing persecution in the German-speaking countries. In Shanghai, about 18,000 Jews survived the holocaust.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This mid-eighteen century Italian Esther scroll was most likely printed and hand-colored in Venice. It is kept in a cylindrical case of delicate filigree, ornamented with floral motifs, that is typical of the later and more refined work of Ioannite silversmiths.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
The Esther story in this megillah (pl. megillot) isn't presented as an historic drama, but rather as a funny satire. The character of Alsatian Jewish life is captured in the ornamentation of the scroll: the whimsical imagery includes peasant figures in colorful local costume and reflections of folk humor. Lively figures, several shown strolling with walking sticks in hand and others gesturing, are interspersed with human busts, owls, and a gargoyle, while the Hebrew text is arranged within octagonal frames approximately 6 cm high. The few known Alsatian megillot share several distinctive characteristics, such as a bright palette of yellow, red, and green; stocky robust figures; and large vibrant flowers. In this Braginsky Collection Esther scroll, the women wear red or blue garments with yellow corselets laced in front, whereas the men are depicted wearing, amongst others, traditional white ruffs, red or blue jackets with culottes, and a variety of hats.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This megillah is embellished with hand-painted, repeated architectural designs. The text is set between alternating straight and spiral marble columns. The Jews of Italy associated twisted columns with those of the Temple of Solomon, which they believed were brought to Rome by Titus and eventually placed in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. In terms of style, this scroll resembles the illuminated ketubot produced in Ferrara and Mantua. Accompanying this scroll is a separate sheet of parchment that, in addition to the benedictions, contains a liturgical hymn, korei megillah, recited by the Jews of Italy. Rabbis disagreed as to whether a scroll may include any extraneous text that is not part of the book of Esther. However, in some communities this led to the practice of creating an unattached sheet featuring the three benedictions traditionally recited prior to the reading of the megillah.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The border design of this Esther scroll is dominated by a baroque arcade featuring four distinctly patterned columns. The arches are surmounted by a balustrade that supports flowering urns, blank medallions, floral scrollwork, and a variety of birds including a crowned double-headed eagle and a peacock. Scenes from the Esther narrative are positioned beneath each of the nineteen columns of text. The engraved border of this scroll was designed by the Italian scholar, artist, and publisher Francesco Griselini (1717-1787), whose engraved border designs were popular in Italy in the eighteenth century. In these illustrations, Griselini has devoted particular attention to architectural settings and spatial perspective. The artist's printed signature is found in the lower left corner of each membrane. The last scene, placed under the final arch, is rarely found on illustrated Ester scrolls. It depicts the Messiah riding on a donkey heralding the return of the exiled Jewish people back to Jerusalem. The text of this scroll was penned by the scribe-artist Aryeh Leib ben Daniel. In his inscription, which follows the concluding benedictions, he informs the reader that he wrote this scroll in Venice in the winter of 1746.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This profusely illustrated Dutch scroll is distinctive for its thirty-eight illustrations drawn in sepia ink. The decoration of the scroll begins with a triumphal arch reminiscent of Roman Triumphal arches constructed for royal festivities throughout Europe from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. The scroll also contains some unusual representations. One is of Mordecai standing in a room with a wall filled with books. He is portrayed as a scholar, perhaps reflecting a rabbinic tradition that informs us of his remarkable knowledge of seventy languages, which helped him uncover the plot against Ahasuerus. Another striking illustration is the depiction of two merrymaking dwarves dancing and playing stringed instruments in celebration of the Jews' delivery from destruction.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This eighteenth-century megillah was created in Lower Saxony and exemplifies a type of folk art decoration and color palette found in other megillot from this region. The most distinctive image in this scroll is the one depicting the hanging of Haman. Bound in chains, he is suspended from the gallows. A venomous snake, a symbol of evil, encircles the upright support of the gibbet. Below, a double-tailed lion, an allegoric embodiment of the Jewish people, is depicted holding a crowned shield and gazing up at the execution. This Braginsky Collection megillah is one of three similar German scrolls containing distinctive images of Haman hanging. Inscriptions on the opening and closing panels of this scroll indicate that this scroll was owned by Berel the son of Abraham Neumark of Hamburg.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This scroll (on five sheets with 13 columns of text) opens with an impressive sun disk surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. The month of Adar is particularly emphasized, since it was in this month under the sign of Pisces that the extermination of the Jews took place. Each column begins, if possible, with the word ha-melech (the king), which designates the king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, but is also an allusion to the never explicitly mentioned and yet omnipresent God. The silver case from around 1800 is crowned by a bouquet of flowers and leaves, which can be found in a similar way on Torah finials (rimmonim) and other Judaica metalwork of the Ottoman Empire.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
Created at the beginning of the 20th century, this Esther scroll (on six sheets with 35 columns of text) could be seen as an attempt to create a national Jewish style by incorporating orientalist and Art Nouveau elements. The origin could therefore be Jerusalem, although other centers in the Ottoman Empire could also be considered. The case is artfully carved from ivory, the megillah was painted in vivid colors and contains floral motifs, as often found in oriental manuscripts.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
The decorative program of this Esther scroll (on 4 sheets with 16 columns of text) was taken from the printed frame design of the Braginsky Megillah S25. The benedictions at the beginning of the scroll are surrounded by figures and episodes of the Esther story: at the top Ahasuerus and Esther on the throne flanked by courtiers; below on the right the conspirators and on the left Haman on the gallows; at the bottom on the right Mordecai in the gate of the palace and on the left Esther and Mordecai writing letters with the orders for the Purim feast. The hexagonal case of chased silver was made in 1806 and belonged to Rabbi Ephraim Fischel of Rozdol in Eastern Galicia.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
This scroll contains one of the most finely executed series of illustrations to be found in decorated megillot (sing. megillah). The highly accomplished artist Wolf Leib Katz Poppers has modeled detailed figures, scenes, and animals with delicate parallel and cross-hatched pen strokes, creating an effect that is strikingly similar to the copperplate engravings of contemporary books. Positioned between a foliate border with animals at the top and a similar one with birds at the bottom, text columns are interspersed with eight elegant full-length characters from the Esther story. Below each of these figures is a small vignette that chronicles the Purim story. It is unusual that the skillfully drawn figures that embellish this scroll are dressed in Ottoman-court clothing. The choice of this type of dress is intriguing, and perhaps the most cogent reason for this combination is that the scroll was produced for a member of a small, affluent community of Turkish Jews who, after 1718, were permitted to live and trade freely in Vienna, while still remaining subjects of the Sultan of Turkey.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This Esther scroll, which combines Indian and Western traditions in a unique way, contains twenty elaborately illustrated panels flanking the text columns. The reader is shown surrounded by men wearing fezes and children holding drums used as noisemakers to drawn out the name of Haman. Additionally, a group of five women is portrayed in a separate space above labeled ezrat nashim (woman's section). The figures in the scroll are depicted in a mixture of contemporary, Western and non-Western clothing, and often are seated in interiors that portray a similar blend of furnishings. Some of the women, including Esther at times, are shown with a Hindu bindi sign on their foreheads. This scroll comes from the collection of the eminent Sassoon family of Baghdadi Jewish descent. It was most likely created for their personal use. The merging of Jewish scribal traditions and Indian artistic design reflects the Sassoon family's deep involvement in the cultural life of India.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This hand-written megillah Esther from Venice (type: “Gaster I”, on three sheets with text in 19 columns, all but the last one arranged in pairs), is decorated with a printed and hand-colored decorative border; it can be dated circa 1675 based on almost identical Esther rolls that are dated. This decorative technique was first used in Rome in the late 16th century and later, especially in the 18th century, was widely used in Venice and Amsterdam. Polylobed cartouches below and above the text depict scenes from the Book of Esther.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
In contrast to most Esther scrolls, the first two decorative fields of this megillah emphasize the central importance of Mordecai. First there is written, in burgundy letters: “The Scroll of Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew” and then in orange letters “In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish” (Esther 2:5). This genealogy is traced back to Abraham on the borders along the top and bottom of the entire scroll. This is followed by the lineage of the opponent Haman, which was taken from the Targum Riscon, the Aramaic translation of the original Hebrew text.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
Cut-out decors are typical for Esther scrolls from Ancona and Lugo. These can also be found on ketubbot (see K96 and K105) and other decorative sheets. The upper ribbon of cutout designs on this megillah (on three leaves with 12 columns of text) has peacocks, butterflies and deer interwoven with flower, tendril and latticework ornaments, while the lower one shows the signs of the zodiac. The turned wooden roller is 54.8 cm high.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
The opening panel of this megillah (on 4 leaves with 34 columns of text) shows a rampant lion with a palm frond, surrounded by four birds and insects. Above it, an inscription gives the name “Salomon Marinozzi”, presumably the original owner. To its right, a cartouche containing the name of his son as owner, was probably added later: “This scroll belongs to Mordecai, son of Solomon Marinozzi of blessed memory, and it was bought by Solomon […] in the year 1652.”
Online Since: 12/10/2020
Influenced by the Islamic culture of North Africa, this megillah (on three sheets with 19 columns of text) dispenses with figurative representations and uses the formal language of Islamic art with its manifoldly varied ornaments. The text is adorned by an arcade that extends over the entire scroll. The decoration most closely resembles that of some ketubot from the city of Meknes in Morocco.
Online Since: 12/10/2020
The text on this Esther scroll (on 5 sheets with 42 columns of text) is written in unusually narrow columns, set in golden frames on a greenish background. The hexagonal case made of cast, chased, engraved and granulated silver bears the silver hallmarks of the city of Rome and of the manufacturer Giovanni Battista Sabatini from 1778 to 1780. The initials alef, resh and samech refer to the patron and to the owner. What is unusual is that in this case, the complete original set of scroll, case and leather box has been preserved.
Online Since: 12/10/2020
The calligrapher and artist Arje Leib ben Daniel, who created this megillah (on three sheets with 12 columns of text and a separate sheet with blessings), came from Goraj near Zamość in Lesser Poland. A total of 28 of his megillot have been preserved, eight of which are signed and dated by him. This so-called ha-melech scroll, where each individual column begins with ha-melech ("the king"), was created in Venice in 1748, with the sepia drawings typical of Leib ben Daniel. Influences of Salom Italia's border designs as well as of Eastern European folk art can be discerned. The artist's name in the inscription was later replaced by that of Judah Capsuto, who gave the scroll to Ephraim Isaac Capsuto as a Purim gift.
Online Since: 12/10/2020