Another Fine Illustrated Esther Scroll, Shalom Italia [Amsterdam, ca. 1641]

Ink on parchment (5 x 67 in.; 125 x 1700 mm). Text written in square Hebrew script; arranged in 18 circles, 23 lines to a circle on three membranes joined and stitched. Several instances of hand-coloring to column capitals and flora. Printed image worn in spots; Text faded. Some staining and soiling; few scattered minor perforations. Opening image (preceding text) partially provided in facsimile. Mounted on a carved wooden roller.

M. Narkiss, "The Oeuvre of Salom ben Mordechai Italia" in Tarbiz, vol.  25 pp. 441-451 especially no. 3 (p. 446); ibid. vol. 26, pp. 87-101. L. Franzheim, Judaica II, Koln: 1990, pp. 74-75.

An extremely scarce copy of an early illustrated border by Shalom Italia

Shalom Italia, one of the most creative Jewish artists of the 17^th century was active in Amsterdam for a little over a decade. During this time he designed borders for two printed ketubbot, engraved the portraits of several eminent Jewish personalities and, most significantly, crafted nine beautifully engraved border designs for Esther scrolls. Italia's initial efforts in the field of megillah decoration yielded two nearly-identical frame designs created to surround the text of the biblical Book of Esther.  In these designs, Shalom established his archetypal model of scrolls ornamented with architectural elements, classical motifs and full-length images of characters from the Esther story. Only one copy of each of these first two scrolls remains extant.

According to Prof. Mordechai Narkiss' pioneering overview of Shalom Italia's oeuvre, the present lot is an example of the third megillah border designed by the artist.  The imagery and composition of this scroll differ significantly from both the early designs as well as from the later scrolls created by Shalom.  The text is written within a circular frame and surrounded by a densely populated border. Each text panel is surmounted by a trio of animals; a lion a bear and a sheep. A pair of plinths topped with urns holding elaborate floral arrangements flanks every spherical section of the text. Along the lower border, a series of finely detailed scenes from the Esther story are presented within rectangular frames.  

Only five copies of this rare engraved border are known to exist.