Kestenbaum & Company
Hebrew. Pentateuch). [Chamishah Chumshei Torah]. With Targum Onkelos and commentaries of Rashi and Nachmanides.

Auction 74 · Lot 34

Hebrew. Pentateuch). [Chamishah Chumshei Torah]. With Targum Onkelos and commentaries of Rashi and Nachmanides.

Estimate
$12,000–$18,000
Hammer price
$13,000

Historical auction record. Hammer prices exclude buyer’s premium and taxes.

author

(BIBLE,

printer

Yehudah Gedaliah and Abraham Alnaqua

Place

Salonika

Publication

1520

Description

PRINTED ON VELLUM AND PAPER. Two volumes. Text in Spanish square Hebrew type with nikud, commentaries in rabbinic type. Opening word of each Book within elegant woodcut border. The Salman Schocken copy (partially). Vol. I: Bereishith, ff. 132 (26 leaves in facsimile). * Shemoth, ff. 133-246. (i.e. 248, complete). * Vayikra, ff. 247 (i.e. 249)-330 (27 leaves on vellum, 10 leaves in facsimile). Vol. II: Bamidbar, ff. 331-419 (16 leaves on vellum, 2 leaves in facsimile). * Devarim, ff. 420-498 (8) (13 leaves on vellum, 60 leaves in facsimile). Further collation information available upon request.

references

Vinograd, Salonika 13; Freimannn, Pergamentdrucke ZfHB Vol. 15 no. 45 (recording just two fragments); Zedner p. 107”only one other copy known which is on paper; not in Darlow & Moule.

summary

OF THE UTMOST RARITY. As the late Prof. Chimen Abramsky wrote in his description of the Schocken copy: “This edition is probably rarer than many Hebrew incunables.” Accompanied by: An additional 27 duplicate leaves on vellum; and a volume containing a further four leaves with typographical variants. According to Prof. Elazar Hurvitz, these leaves are not from the actual edition but were distributed by the printer to solicit buyers (see Hurvitz’s letter accompanying the lot). See Treasures of the Valmadonna Trust Library - Otzroth Ya’akov, Vellum no. 11.
A made-up copy, mispaginated, variously stained, expert paper repairs (some loss of text). Modern finely tooled calf. Housed in custom slip-case. Folio.
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