Illuminated Hebrew Bible, Manuscript on Vellum, Scribe: Levi ben Aaron Halfan [Florence]: 1489

8vo (8 5/8 x 6 1/4 in.;220 x 160 mm). collation: [i]^{1, 1-510, 68, 7-1010, 118, 12-1510, 1612, 17-2710, 288, 2910, 308, 3114, 32-3310, 3412, 35-4010, 418=409 leaves, written in an Italian square Hebrew script with nikkud, in black ink, ruled in pen, two columns, thirty-five lines to the page, without catchwords, early foliation in ink of 187 leaves of Prophets, some cropped, modern foliation in pencil, sixteenth-century illuminated frontispiece with dual borders, at top a border of naturalistic flora strewn on a ground of liquid gold, at bottom a border of foliage woven with fruits and blossoms and bound with cord, framing a central wreath with family crests per pale encircled by an undulating ribbon of red and blue, suspended from a matching ribbon is a framed inscription denoting the owner's acquisition of the manuscript, with an illuminated title page, with borders of naturalistic flora strewn on a ground of liquid gold, with two songbirds flanking monarch butterfly at the top and coat-of-arms at bottom within a field of red and orange embellished with foliate volutes, on either side within a cartouche and on a field of crimson, a monogram (B-A), all surrounding a monumental illuminated incipit, Bereishit, on a lapis ground embellished with foliated volutes and orange blossoms, beneath which the biblical text ensues; another sixteen illuminated initial word panels on ff. 27r, 50r, 65v, 87r, 107r, 119v, 132v, 164r, 197r, 225v, 248r, 309r, 335v, 344v, 355r, 363r in liquid gold on grounds of varying hues, mostly deep crimsons, blues and purples and embellished with foliated volutes, fifteenth-century decorated initial words on ff. 5v, 7v, 10v, 14r, 58v decorated with fine pen and ink, three in red and one in blue; purple silk guards bound in; some flaking on f.1r, first few leaves lightly stained, crease on f.10, minor buckling f. 387. Early nineteenth-century red velvet over wooden boards, blind-tooled border of Greek key design, silk doublures, gilt and gauffered edges, remains of silver clasps, very nearly separated from text block; lower cover split, upper hinge mended and yet torn, edges and lower joint rubbed, with burgundy buckram four-flap envelope and within a twentieth century red morocco dropbox, gilt titles on spine.}

1. Isaac Norsa
2. Isaac ben Yom-Tov Hagee—purchased from Isaac Norsa April 1544—record of sale on verso of final text page, verso of frontispiece; fair copy on frontispiece
3.by descent to Azariah Hagee as part of a property settlement with his brother Abraham Hagee—his note on frontispiece: 18 Tishri 5354= 14 October 1593
4. by descent to Raphael Samuel Hagee
5. inherited by his widow Diamanda
6.  Mordecai ben Elisha Bottari—purchased from Diamanda Hagee--record of sale on verso of final text page and copied on recto of frontispiece leaf: 25 November 1629 ("I paid full price to Diamanda,  widow of Raphael Samuel Hagee, with the permission of her eldest son Hayyim Azariah Yohannan Hagee.")

Aaron Freimann, "Jewish Scribes in Medieval Italy," Alexander Marx: Jubilee Volume on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday, English Section, no. 278b, p.289; J. Kauffmann, Kat. 66 (1912), nr. 1758, cf. Aaron Freimann's description there.

8vo (8 5/8 x 6 1/4 in.;220 x 160 mm). collation: [i]1, 1-510, 68, 7-1010, 118, 12-1510, 1612, 17-2710, 288, 2910, 308, 3114, 32-3310, 3412, 35-4010, 418=409 leaves, written in Italian, square Hebrew script with nikkud, in black ink, ruled in pen, two columns, thirty-five lines to the page, without catchwords, early foliation in ink of 187 leaves of Prophets (some cropped), modern foliation in pencil, sixteenth-century illuminated frontispiece with dual borders, at top a border of naturalistic flora strewn on a ground of liquid gold, at bottom a border of foliage woven with fruits and blossoms and bound with cord, framing a central wreath with family crests per pale encircled by an undulating ribbon of red and blue, suspended from a matching ribbon is a framed inscription denoting the owner's acquisition of the manuscript, with an illuminated title page, with borders of naturalistic flora strewn on a ground of liquid gold, with two songbirds flanking monarch butterfly at the top and coat-of-arms at bottom within a field of red and orange embellished with foliate volutes, on either side within a cartouche and on a field of crimson, a monogram (B-A), all surrounding monumental illuminated incipit on a lapis ground embellished with foliated volutes and orange blossoms, beneath which the biblical text ensues, another sixteen illuminated initial word panels on ff. 27r, 50r, 65v, 87r, 107r, 119v, 132v, 164r, 197r, 225v, 248r, 309r, 335v, 344v, 355r, 363r in liquid gold on grounds of varying hues, mostly deep crimsons, blues and purples and embellished with foliated volutes, fifteenth-century decorated initial words on ff. 5v, 7v, 10v, 14r, 58v decorated with fine pen and ink, three in red and one in blue; purple silk guards bound in; some flaking on f.1r, first few leaves lightly stained, crease on f.10, minor buckling f. 387. Early nineteenth-century red velvet over wooden boards, blind-tooled border of Greek key design, silk doublures, gilt and gauffered edges, remains of silver clasps, very nearly separated from text block; lower cover split, upper hinge mended and yet torn, edges and lower joint rubbed, with burgundy buckram four-flap envelope and within a twentieth century red morocco dropbox, gilt titles on spine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

It is extremely rare to find such a complete and exquisite exemplar of a fifteenth-century Tanakh  (Hebrew Bible.)  The acme of the Hebrew scribal arts, the execution of the complete text of the twenty-four books that make up the bible requires a special degree of care that need not be present in other contemporary manuscripts. The addition of dozens of decorative elements ranging from the full page illuminations to colored pen and ink drawings and the hundreds of scribal flourishes found in this manuscript all contribute to its unique quality and character. 

The initial words of seventeen of the books in the bible are illuminated in gold and further decorated in deep shades of reds, purples and blues. These illuminations, as well as the two full page illuminations on the frontispiece and f.1 were added in the second half of the sixteenth century.  Art historians have noticed a strong stylistic similarity between the borders of the frontispiece and title page of the present manuscript and those found in the Gonzaga illuminated mathematical manuscript (ca.1585-1590) from the Library of the late Alan G. Thomas (lot 56, Sotheby's London, 21 and 22 June 1993).

The illuminated frontispiece serves as a veritable font of information concerning the history of the manuscript in the mid-sixteenth century. The inscription at the bottom is a fair copy of the record of purchase of the manuscript by Isaac Hagee from Isaac Norsa. The wealthy Norsa family may well have been the original owners of the manuscript when it was first completed in 1489, as there is no record of any prior ownership. The central wreath on the frontispiece envelops two family crests. The practice of joining two coats of arms side-by-side is known in heraldry as impalement and usually denotes union by marriage. On the right is the crest of the Modigliani family: azure, on a mound of three hillocks a rooster holding a palm in its beak and in chief a moon and star. The second crest, azure, three fleur-de-lys surmounting a crescent, is certainly the emblem of the Hagee family.

 While the Modigliani family is known through a variety of documents including a number of Roman kettubot , the Hagee family is less well-known.  Most likely derived from the name of the Hebrew prophet Haggai, the initial letter of the Hebrew surname begins with the letter "Heh," which conveys the sound normally associated with the letter "H." In French as well as in Italian, however, an initial letter "H" remains unvocalized. This renders the name of the Prophet Haggai as Aggée in French or Aggeo in Italian. In conjunction with their unusual surname, the design of the family arms makes it quite reasonable to assume that the origin of the Hagee family was in France as the major charge in the Hagee family crest, the group of three fleur-de-lys, is the familiar heraldic symbol of France.

Though we know the names of the two families joined by marriage we have no information as to the individual names of the bride or groom. However, the letters B and A are repeated in three separate locations on the illuminated first page of the Bible and may be meant to represent the given names of the bridal couple. Two other manuscripts are recorded by the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts as having belonged to the Hagee family.

The scribe, Levi ben Aaron Halfan records his first name in several places in the manuscript, concluding several books with the formula Hazak Levi (e.g. f. 106v, 293v, 307v). In addition on f.293r, he has placed a delicate three-branched tree atop the ascender of the letter lamed in his name Levi, where it appears as part of the text. Marking one's own name in this fashion was a traditional practice of many medieval scribes of Hebrew manuscripts. The scribe has also recorded the date of the completion of the Prophets section of the manuscript on f. 293v as the month of Av, 5249 (= between 29 June—28 July, 1489.) In addition to the present lot, Freimann records seven other manuscripts by the scribe Levi ben Aaron Halfan which were produced between the years 1475 and 1494. 

The initial words of each pericope in the Pentateuch as well as some important chapter divisions (e.g. Rani Akarah) and the initial words of those biblical books not illuminated (i.e. Minor Prophets, Five Scrolls) are written in larger square letters. Four of these early initial words are decorated with fine-line pen and ink drawings; three are done in red and one in blue (f.7r.) 

In the Pentateuch section, the scribe has carefully noted certain passages whose appearance in a Torah scroll must conform to certain scribal rules (e.g. f 26v, 35r). In one such notation the scribe alludes to a mystical meaning for these requirements (f.105v.) Elsewhere he incorporates other scribal conventions usually seen in Torah scrolls (inverted nuns, f.72r, winding pehs, e.g. ff.44v, 45r). In the margins of the entire bible, the scribe has noted, where appropriate the keri and ketiv reflecting those instances where a word is pronounced in a manner other than as it is written. In the Prophets and Hagiographa sections, the Haftara readings are marked in decorative fashion in the margins of the text. Occasionally, the scribe inadvertently omitted a letter or word and in a few cases several words. These too, have been added in the margins where necessary and were likely done by the nakdan (vocalizer) who in addition to providing the vowel points, served as proofreader in checking the text for errors or omissions. Though the scribe completed the entire text of the Hebrew Bible, the nakdan has curiously left the final two leaves of Chronicles unpointed. The scribe has also added two other noteworthy features, both written in a minuscule hand. A Talmudic passage from Baba Batra has been inserted by the scribe between Kings and Jeremiah quoting the rationale for the order of the prophetic books (ff.196v-197r.) and at the end of Jonah, three verses from the end of Micah have been added so as to complete the haftarah as it is read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur.

On the last page of the biblical text (f. 407r) is a birth notice dated 23 January 1643 recording the birth of Moses Hezekiah [Bottari]. The following three pages contain another seven birth records of the children of Mordecai Elisha and Leah Bottari, born between the years 1625-1645. The children, four boys and four girls were: Rachel, 17 Sept 1625; Elisha Moshe, 22 July 1625; Jacob, 20 Nov 1632; Livia, 12 Jan 1636; Esther, 20 Feb 1638; Baruch, 28 March 1641; Moshe Hezekiah, 23 January 1643; Luna, 16 May 1645.

The final page of the manuscript (f.408v) adds an intriguing list, written in a seventeenth-century hand, of twenty-one brief incantations and formulae designed to provide the supplicant with all manner of benefit. These include, among others, formulae to prevent forgetfulness, aid in childbirth, achieve victory in a lawsuit, avoid carnal temptation and to frighten away brigands. Each formula calls for a specified number of repetitions of an appropriate verse.