Sepher Machberoth Immanuel [poetry]

AUCTION 16 | Tuesday, June 25th, 2002 at 1:00

Important Hebrew Printed Books and Manuscripts From the Library of the London Beth Din

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Lot 141

IMMANUEL BEN SOLOMON OF ROME.

Sepher Machberoth Immanuel [poetry]

Second edition. Title within woodcut architectural arch-form border. ff. (156). Stained in places, opening four leaves rehinged with small paper repairs affecting few words, final page laid down, previous owner’s stamps. Modern calf. 4to Vinograd, Const. 153; Yaari, Const. 119; Adams I-53

Constantinople: Eliezer ben Gershom Soncino 1535

Est: $3,000 - $4,000

Immanuel of Rome (c.1261-1368), a contemporary of Dante’s, known in Italian as Manoello Giudeo, modeled his literary work on the classic Sephardic poets - Solomon ibn Gabirol, Judah Halevi and Judah Al-Harizi. However, he also displayed a significant Italian influence. His famous vision of Heaven and Hell, influenced by Dante’s work is contained in the final section. Because of certain lewd sections, Joseph Karo forbade its reading and consequently, a subsequent edition was not published for some two centuries. See Carmilly-Weinberger, pp.214-7. According to Cecil Roth, Immanuel of Rome was “the most remarkable and the most important figure of the Renaissance period in the Jewish world.” See C. Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (1959) pp. 89-103.