Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller - Old and Rare Books

A Song of David - The Moss Haggadah (2 vols.) [SIGNED BY THE ARTIST]

Moss, David (Illustrated by)

Verona: Bet Alpha Editions, 1987. Limited edition. Hardcover. 211/500. Folio. 52 leaves. Original gold-stamped goat skin leather with gold lettering on spine. Limitation page signed by David Moss (Facsimile volume). Folio. 75, [1]pp, 52 leaves, [1], 55pp. Original gray cloth, with silver lettering on spine. Ribbon markers. Title page in red and black lettering (Commentary volume). Both volumes housed in a matching gray cloth slipcase. Limited edition facsimile of the artist's richly illuminated interpretation of the Passover story.

In 1980 Richard and Beatrice Levy commissioned the artist David Moss to create a single handwritten and richly illuminated Haggadah on parchment for their personal collection of Judaica. Moss used the opportunity to create a wide-ranging visual commentary on Jewish history and experience. Using vivid and original metaphors, Moss confronts and illuminates some of the basic themes of Judaism: freedom, the passing on of tradition, persecution and the connection between the Passover story, the Diaspora and the Land of Israel. Each page of Moss’s folio-sized Haggadah makes a visual and intellectual statement that surprises, delights and educates the viewer.

Artistically, the work combines a spectacular variety of media: calligraphy, micrography, gouaches, gold leaf, acrylics and paper-cuts. This work accomplishes one of the original goals of the illuminated Haggadah: to stimulate the mind and the interest of the Seder's participants. More than a Haggadah, Moss’s creation evolved into a broadly researched, imaginative and intensely personal reaction to the events of the Exodus and the Passover celebration. The materials used in the facsimile reflect the publishers’ hope that it will be treasured and passed down for hundreds of years. The paper, made especially for this edition, is chemically neutral for longevity. The gold-stamped binding is in strong, full goat skin leather. The facsimile contains all the intricate paper cutouts of the original volume; these were produced with laser technology. The finest craftsmanship and the best contemporary technology insure that the facsimile is as close as possible to the original. All artistic decisions were made by Moss who worked closely with Martino Mardersteig and his master printers at the Stamperia Valdonega in Verona, Italy. One of 500 copies, of which this is No. 211.

Haggadah volume in Hebrew, Commentary volume in English. Slipcase with rubbing to extremities, as well as minor smudges and scratches. Gray binding of commentary with minor wear at corners. Slipcase in overall very good, binding in very good to near fine, interior in fine condition. vg to fine. Item #55251

Price: $12,500.00