Manchester. The John Rylands Library, Hebrew MS 7
- Source
- Manchester Digital Collections
- Library
- The John Rylands Library
- Shelfmark
-
- Hebrew MS 7
- Biblissima authority file
- Language
-
- Hebrew
- Title
-
- Haggadah shel Pesaḥ (הגדה של פסח | Passover Haggadah, Ashkenazi rite)
- Agent
-
-
- Preferred form
-
- Avraham ben Asher
- Role
-
- Scribe
- Original form
-
- Avraham ben Asher
- אברהם בן אשר
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Enriqueta Augustina Rylands (1843-1908)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Enriqueta Rylands
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- James Ludovic Lindsay (comte de Crawford, 1847-1913)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford of Haigh Hall
- Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
- Other form
-
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, Earl (1847-1913)
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford
- Lindsay, James Ludovic (1847-1913)
- James Ludovic Lindsay (b. 1847, d. 1913), peer and collector
- James Ludovic Lindsay (b. 1847, d. 1913), 26th Earl of Crawford
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford, 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford 1847-1913
- James Ludovic Lindsay, 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- James Ludovic Lindsay 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- Lindsay, James Ludovic, 1847-1913, 26th Earl of Crawford
- see more
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Original form
-
- The John Rylands Library
-
- Description
-
- Extent:
50 ff. (ii+50+ii) Leaf height: 204 mm, width: 150 mm.
Binding:
Binding of brown leather with a metallic sheen, imprinted with an image of Pan playing his pipes. The leather covering was possibly reused from a wall-covering.
Decoration:
A full list is given below. The decoration was completed in two stages: the first one by the scribe Avraham ben Asher, the second one by a different artist. The decoration can be subdivided into four types:
1. Illuminated initial-word panels on folios 1b, 5a, 5b, 20b, 25b, 27b, 28a, 33a, 47a, 48a, 49b.
2. Micrography on folios 4a, 4b, 6a, 6b, 20a, 20b, 21a.
3. Marginal painted depictions on folios 12a, 15b, 29a, 39b, 42b, 47a.
4. Painted illustrations on folios 1b, 5a, 5b, 9b, 10a, 10b, 14a, 23b, 24b, 25b, 33a, 34b.
Folio 1b: Burnished gold initial-word ברוך on a rectangular green panel decorated with fine brush strokes. Left upper margin: stag hunt. Left to right: hunter wearing 15th century medieval clothing and a red chaperon, holding a signal horn in one hand and blowing through it, holding a bow in the other hand and wearing a quiver on his back; fleeing stag; black dog responding to signal horn. Right upper margin: animal grotesques. The animal grotesques and figures from the stag hunt are interconnected by green foliage with red leaves and red and blue flowers.
Folio 4a: Micrography in the shape of a wooden staff or branch.
Folio 4b: Micrography in the shape of a wooden staff or branch.
Folio 5a: Burnished gold initial-word הא on a square red panel decorated with fine brush strokes. Built around the initial-word are decorated panels. Left and bottom: ornamented niche with a male figure wearing a ‘Jew’s hat’ who reads a book; beneath him a woman with a book in her hand looking toward a washing basin, bowl or kettle and a towel (items needed for the ritual hand-washing before the seder); at the right a woman reading a book who sits behind a table set for the seder (with matza). These pictures represent the order from the start of the seder until the meal. Right: green knotwork foliage with monkey. Top (from right to left): dog biting his tail, monkey eating fruit, hare, lion in blue robes with a background of blue, green and red foliage. Top left: red panel with foliating brush strokes and a dog biting on a bone.
Folio 5b: Painted initial-word מה on a square blue panel. At its left a window; at its right a small panel with a male figure pouring wine for the second cup. At its bottom: female figure hanging a curtain.
Folio 6a: Micrography in the shape of a dragon.
Folio 6b: Micrography in the shape of two fish. One fish bites the other in the tail.
Folio 9b: Small panel enclosing the bust of the wise son.
Folio 10a: A soldier of the height of the entire script page illustrates the wicked son. He holds a sabre and wears a crown instead of a helmet. He has blond hair and a red face, perhaps this is a caricature of the gentile appearance.
Folio 10b: A small panel enclosing the bust of the simple son. He wears a jester’s hat.
Folio 12a: Two manicules in the margins, indicating the name of the scribe.
Folio 14a: Curtain rails with a green curtain evolving in a grass field with trees. Naked blonde babies play in the field and climb the trees. The image illustrates the words in the second and third lines from below: רבבה כצמח השדה.
Folio 15b: A manicule in the margins, indicating the name of the scribe.
Folio 20a: Micrography in the shape of a running horse.
Folio 20b Micrography in the shape of a winged dog. Gilded initial-word במה on a red panel with fine brush decoration.
Folio 21a: Micrography in the shape of Jonah being swallowed by the whale.
Folio 23b: Small drawing of a hand holding a piece of matza. Illustrating the word מצה.
Folio 24b: Small drawing of a hand holding the bitter herbs. Illustrating the word מרור.
Folio 25b: Blue panel with the initial-word לפיכך. The letters are not gilded and are left blank. A small panel at the bottom right of the page shows a man pouring a cup of wine, as an illustration to the לפיכך.
Folio 27b: Two panels with the initial-word הללויה. The first part of the word (הללו) is gilded and has a green background with small decorated circles. The second part of the word (יה) is silvered and has a red background with decorated circles.
Folio 28a: Blue panel with the initial-word בינאת. The word is left blank.
Folio 29a: A fleuronné motif, indicating the name of the scribe.
Folio 33a: Blue panel with the initial-word שפוך. Above the panel is an illustration depicting the Messiah riding a white ass. The Messiah is fully armed and bears a sword. An angel is expecting him and many people follow him. A figure dressed in black holds onto the tail of the donkey. On the right a pillar with a shofar. In the other margin, a gate and a walled city, probably Jerusalem. All the figures and decorations are colored, but the Messiah is left blank. Presumably this is a way of highlighting his divine nature.
Folio 34b: Small illustration of a well with the text בניכם.
Folio 39b: A manicule next to the word אבא of Ps. 118:19, pointing to the commentary in the margin which includes the complete name of the scribe.
Folio 42b: Grotesque figure with the words למולך עביר במדבר.
Folio 47a: Red panel with the initial-word אומץ, the letters are left blank. Top left a small drawing of a hand holding a ring.
Folio 48a: Red, blue and green panel with the initial-word אז. The letters are left blank.
Folio 49b: Yellow and green panel with the initial-word כי.
Acquisition:
Acquired by Enriqueta Rylands in 1901 from James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford of Haigh Hall and later bequeathed to the The John Rylands Library.
Layout:
The main text is in long line of between 5 and 12 written lines. Lead pencil ruling.
The commentaries surround the main text and are written in one or two columns with a maximum of 31 written lines. Lead pencil ruling.
Script:
Ashkenazi square script.Several additions were made in Italian semi-cursive script: see folios 30b-33a.
Data Source(s):
Description based on Alexander Samely's unpublished draft catalogue, description of decorations by Gabrielle Sed-Rajna, revised and expanded by Stefania Silvestri and Nienke Valk.
Subject(s):
Haggadah
Abstract:
The Rylands Ashkenazi Haggadah, with commentaries. An extensively decorated and illustrated manuscript produced in Southern Germany in the early fifteenth century.
Foliation:
Modern pencil foliation in Arabic numerals at the top outer corner of side a of each folio.
Format:
Codex
Material:
Parchment
Provenance:
Back paste-down: Bookplate reading: "Endure Fort / Bibliotheca Lindesiana", with shelfmark " E / 10".
Ownership note on folio 50b that reads in Hebrew and Latin: "דף יח׳ בהעמת אומר הכתוב וגם מרי הרב ר׳ יב׳׳ם עשה כן ובהיות שמזכיר / של הרב קולונימוס ובניו זצ׳׳ל נמצא כי הכותב היה א׳ מתלמידי הרב / ר׳ יהודה בר קולונימוס אביו של הרב ר׳ אלעזר מגרמינא ועולה מזה / כי זה הכתב יד אשר לפנינו נכתב בהתחלה אלף הששי / circiter ab anno MCCXL ad MCCXLV".
Additions:
Later marginal additions on folios 1b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 8a, 9b, 15b, 30b-32a, 33a.
Note(s):
Commentary: Directions for observances peculiar to the first two Passover nights in brown ink on folio 1b
- Extent:
- Rights
-
- Provided by The University of Manchester. Zooming image © University of Manchester Library, All rights reserved. Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
