A Magnificent Passover Haggadah in Hebrew with instructions in French [France, second half of 19th century]

33 leaves (14 x 9 1/4 in.; 355 x 235 mm). Manuscript on excellent quality, off-white, gold-sprinkled vellum, written in square Hebrew script, instructions in French, numbered in Arabic numerals, in pencil, commencing at the back of the manuscript, on the verso of each leaf, within the inner margins. Additional pagination in pencil on Hebrew folios 3v, 4v, 5v, and 6v, in inner upper margin. Up to a maximum of seventeen lines of Hebrew text. It appears that most of the Hebrew letters were first sketched in red. The page was then decorated with gold sprinkles, and finally the letters were written in their final form using black ink. Section headings were written in gold, red, pink, or white, often surrounded by red outlines. Hebrew text is vocalized; no catchwords. Vellum endpapers and flyleaves.  Burgundy-red velvet, two metal clasps on leather strips, housed in a matching red velvet clamshell box lined in brocaded silk.

The nineteenth-century European fascination with the "Oriental" world is reflected in this lavish manuscript. It clearly was intended as a collector's item and its condition is pristine, with no signs of wear. Lacking a colophon, the identity of the patron is unknown however, the unique blend of an illustration reflecting the nineteenth-century European view of the "Oriental" world, with the lavish carpet-page decorations that appears to be based on a real Islamic model, raises the possibility that its origin stems from someone who lived in both worlds. Perhaps the work was commissioned by a member of the Camondo family, renowned Jewish financiers and philanthropists of Spanish-Portuguese origin.  Known as the "Rothschilds of the East"; they immigrated to Paris from Constantinople in 1860 where they became important in the financial world of France. The exceptional appearance of this work likely reflects the desires of such a patron.

The text begins on the verso of the first leaf, enabling the decoration of the text to be arranged as facing double pages whose lavish ornamental frames in lapis and gold are identical. Remarkably, the sumptuous and intricate designs of the thirty-two pairs of carpet pages never repeat. Surrounding the illumination on the upper, outer, and lower margins are delicate blue lines with restrained decoration that provides a uniform embellishment to all of the leaves. The inner margin of each page is bordered with a thick red and gold line that extends into the upper and lower margins. Examples of this type of adornment are found in Korans from sixteenth-century Persia and Turkey. In the current manuscript, the small decorative elements do not repeat on every line, but alternate in various rhythmic patterns. Most of the text is arranged as a single column on the page, with each line of writing centered on the page. When the written lines do not fill the entire width of the column, ornamental motifs adorn the remaining spaces on either side. Each line of Hebrew text is surrounded with an area of gold, embellished with diminutive flowers.

The ritual instructions provided for the reader throughout are in French, written in red ink, with the letters of important words written in gold. They indicate that cerfeuil (parsley), used for karpas, was dipped in vinegar or salt water and raifort (horseradish) was served for the maror (bitter herbs). In keeping with the usage found in printed Haggadot from nineteenth-century France, the three ceremonial matzot were referred to as mitzwot (singular, mitzwah).

The Haggadah contains only one illustration, which appears on the opening page. Within a symmetrically arranged composition, seven figures are seated at a table in front of a blue and black ceramic-tiled wall that is largely covered by a hanging carpet. The turbaned figure at the center, depicted frontally, is reciting the blessing on wine. He is seated under a hanging lamp, higher than his companions. Gold and silver vessels are placed on the table and floor. The other figures are dressed in an eclectic manner, with the figures on the right wearing turbans and orientalized clothing, while those on the left are dressed in more Western-looking apparel.

By definition, every manuscript is a unique creation. The present manuscript however is not only unique--it is an unparalleled calligraphic and decorative tour de force.