APPARENTLY UNMARKED, PROBABLY POLAND OR GALICIA, CIRCA 1787

細節

AN IMPORTANT AND RARE SILVER SIVLONOT BOOK BINDING
Apparently unmarked, probably Poland or Galicia, circa 1787
The Book Cover:
The rectangular open worked front cover opening to the right, decorated with stylised and naturalistic flowers, a fine scrolled foliage and flowering vines, the centre with oval medallion depicting Jewish marriage scene under a free-standing marriage canopy (chuppah), within laurel band, surmounted by crown and flanked by two roaring rampant lions, executed in a fine folk-like style, with thick protruding tongues and stylised manes, the spine with four C-scrolls and floral open worked panels, the backcover engraved with entwining florals C-scrolls, the centre with rocaille flanked by two flowers and centred with a stippled flower, the two hinged clasps decorated with further C-scrolls and flowers on snake skin ground
The Book:
Containing printed book: Chamishah Chumshei Torah ve-Chamesh Megillot and Haftarot Im Targum Onkelos ve ha-Ma'or ha-Gadol Rashi (vocalised Pentateuch in Hebrew with Targum Onkelos, Five Scrolls, Reading from the prophets and Rashi's commentary); Amsterdam: Jochanan Levi Rofe and his brother in law Baruch and his brother Herz, 1787; title page with three stamps (of which two are probably of a Polish library and one of an Eastern European owner), title page dated 1786 and subdivisional title page dated 1787; Vinograd, Amsterdam 2154 (extremely rare edition, not in Roest, not in Zedner, not in Cowley, not in van Straalen and not in the two volumes of the supplementary catalogue of the Hebrew printed Books in the British Library)
13.8cm. high (book cover)

注意事項

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20.825% of the hammer price for lots with values up to NLG 200,000. If the hammer price exceeds the NLG 200,000 then the premium is calculated at 20.825% of the first NLG 200,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of NLG 200,000.

拍場告示

Please note that this lot is below Dutch legal alloy

拍品專文

This beautiful silver binding is unique in that the very rare marriage scene on the front cover is not applied (as in the other known example from the Stieglitz collection, now in the Israel Museum), but rather is an integral part of the binding. The presence of this nuptial scene clearly indicates that this sumptuous binding was especially prepared as a wedding gift (sivlonot), which would have been presented by the bridegroom to his bride. It is interesting to note that the bride is pictured on the bridegroom's right hand side, which is in accordance with Jewish custom. In addition, the two clasps that close the binding are fitted on the left side of the cover so that the book opens to the right, as is necessary for the reading of a Hebrew book (which is printed and read from right to left). Finally, the crown on the front cover, which is flanked and supported by rampant lions, symbolizes the Crown of Torah and thus refers visually to the content of the binding: the first five books of Moses, the Torah.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Benjamin, Chaya, The Stieglitz Collection, Master Pieces of Jewish Art, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987, pp. 374-375
Braunstein, Susan L., The Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Jewish Ceremonial Art, an exhibition catalog, the Jewish Museum, New York, 1985, no. 34

See backcover illustration and illustrations