Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller - Old and Rare Books

Die Darmstädter Pessach-Haggadah, Codex Orientalis 8 der Landesbibliothek zu Darmstadt aus dem Vierzehnten Jahrhundert (The Darmstadt Pesach Haggadah, Codex Orientalis 8 of the Darmstadt State Library from the Fourteenth Century) [2 VOLS]

Italiener, Bruno (ed.); Aron Freimann, August L. Mayer and Adolf Schmidt (texts); Israel ben Meir of Heidelberg (scribe)

Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hiersemann, 1927-1928. Limited edition. Hardcover. 1/350 copies. This is #326, hand-numbered on the colophon at the rear of the facsimile volume. This set provides a stunning full reproduction of the beautiful and notable late medieval illuminated manuscript Haggadah, held at the State Library of Darmstadt, along with critical text discussing the work.

Originally produced by the scribe Israel Ben Meir of Heidelberg, in conjunction with an unidentified artist, this fascinating Passover Haggadah has been noted for its unique illustrations. Scholars have remarked on its inclusion of egalitarian images of men and women, and have noted that it visually seems to have more in common with non-Jewish works from the period. The last two leaves of the manuscript are not connected with the Passover text, but instead depict a hunting scene and the Fountain of Youth. All though the scholarly text of this edition written by German Rabbi Bruno Italiener (1881-1951) along with German art historian August L. Mayer (1885-1944), historian Aron Freimann (1871-1948) and Adolf Schmidt, dates the manuscript to the 14th century, superseding scholarship has now ruled out that possibility for stylistic reasons. The manuscript is now believed to have been produced sometime around 1430.

Vol.1 (text): Octavo. xi, [1], 313, [1]pp. [+ 16 plates]. Pebbled leather over decorative paper boards with gilt ruling, tooling and lettering on the spine. Top edge in gilt. Frontispiece b/w photographic reproduction of the binding of the original manuscript. German and Hebrew text throughout, critically discusses the Haggadah manuscript, and analyses a number of other related manuscripts from the period. The final leaves contain 16 plates of high quality b/w photogravure reproducing pages of various manuscripts mentioned in the text.

Vol. 2 ("tafelband", facsimile volume): Folio. 58 double-sided leaves. Pebbled leather over decorative paper boards with gilt ruling, tooling and lettering on the spine. Top edge in gilt. This volume gorgeously reproduces, in full, the content of the illuminated manuscript Haggadah. The reproduction utilizes, what was at the time, state of the art full color photography, highlighted with lustrous gilt overprinting. The visual reproduction is surprising in its faithful, accurate and vibrant reproduction of the leaves, text and imagery. The resulting facsimile is successfully able to replicate the look and feel as well as the physical aspects of the interior of the original manuscript.

Text volume with very minor rubbing to extremities of the binding, and some minor foxing to the bottom and foredges of the book block. Interior with minor sporadic foxing to the pages, usually confined to the margins. Facsimile volume with some very minor rubbing to the extremities of the binding. Interior clean and vibrant. Book blocks tight. Bindings in very good+ to near fine, interiors in very good to near fine condition overall. Very good condition. Item #55257

Full title page: Die Darmstädter Pessach - Haggadah, codex orientalis 8 der Landesbibliothek zu Darmstadt aus dem vierzehnten Jahrhundert, herausgegeben und erläutert von Bruno Italiener, unter Mitwirkung von Aron Freimann, August L. Mayer und Adolf Schmidt; mit einer Gesamtbibliographie der illustrierten Haggadah

Bibliographic references: Yaari 2064, Yudlov 3094; Mayer 1147.

Price: $2,500.00