Auction 24 · Lot 257
MEGILATH ESTHER
- Estimate
- $7,000–$10,000
- Hammer price
- $6,500
Historical auction record. Hammer prices exclude buyer’s premium and taxes.
Place
(Spain or Egypt
Publication
15th century)
Description
Brown ink in Sephardic square Hebrew script on thin parchment. 11 x 12 mm. per column. 15 or 16 lines per column. 22 nearly square columns, sometimes greater in width than height. (5 cols. lost at beginning)
summary
Unearthed in Cairo. The Megillah was certainly written by a Spanish Jew, either in Spain before the Expulsion in 1492, or soon after arrival in Egypt. (In subsequent generations the uniquely Sephardi style would have given way to local Eastern custom.)
ONE OF VERY FEW 15th CENTURY MEGILLAHS EXTANT.
Some columns damaged at bottom. Last column an ancient replacement in a different hand bearing Eastern influence. Mounted under glass in four parts and expertly cased
Enquire about this lot