Esther scroll. [Israel, ca. mid-20th century].
Ink, paint, and gilt on parchment; filigreed silver (marked with Israeli tax mark – "13" enclosed within Hebrew letter "mem, " in use since 1950s); glass and plastic beads; enamel medallion; gilt.
"HaMelech" Esther scroll (i.e. most columns headed with the word "HaMelech" – "the king"), inscribed in tiny Ashkenazic script on two parchment membranes glued together, 10 columns of text, 22 lines per column. In rather unusual fashion, the scribe who created the scroll signed his name (in Hebrew) on the back of the first sheet, inside a colophon shaped like a Star of David: "This scroll was written by the scribe R. Ze’ev HaLevi Segal in the Holy City of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and reestablished".
The entire scroll is decorated by hand, with the columns of text enclosed within fancy frames, with alternating, boldly colored blue and crimson elements; with numerous ornamental illustrations, including emblems representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel, richly fashioned in gilt; and with geometric and vegetal patterns reminiscent of decorative patterns on Islamic manuscripts. The wolf, emblem of the Tribe of Benjamin, appears last among the emblems of the Tribes of Israel, at the end of the scroll, following the last column of text, at the bottom.
The scroll is housed in a parcel gilt filigree silver case, set with red glass beads and turquoise plastic beads, and features, in the center, a colorful ornamental medallion bearing the images of a pair of parrots surrounded by flowers. The case is surmounted by a large, ornate crown. In its design, the case bears a strong resemblance to Esther scroll cases created in Jerusalem’s Bezalel workshops in the second and third decades of the 20th century. These items were influenced by Esther scroll cases made in Eastern Europe and the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Height of parchment: 7.1 cm. Length of scroll: approx. 87 cm. Height of case (incl. handle): 24 cm. Overall good condition. Slight fading to colors of decorations, and to gilt decorations in margins.
For similar Esther scrolls, see: Sotheby’s, December 14, 2011, Lot 105; December 19, 2018, Lot 205. These Esther scrolls were previously dated to the 1930s, but a somewhat later dating, to ca. 1950s, seems in order. Also see a similar "Shiviti" plaque: Kedem, Auction 67, September 18, 2019, Lot 12.
Provenance:
1. Oscar and Regina Gruss Collection, New York.
2. Heirs of the above.
The Oscar and Regina Gruss Collection
In 1939, Oscar and Regina Gruss fled their hometown of Lvov (then part of Poland, now in Ukraine), narrowly escaping the Holocaust, and eventually settling in the United States. In the years following the war, they devoted themselves to assembling one of the finest collections of Jewish ceremonial art in the USA, with a particular focus on silverwork and 19th-century Jewish paintings.
Their collection featured masterpieces by celebrated artists such as Isidor Kaufmann, Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, and Solomon Alexander Hart. Many of these works were generously donated to The Jewish Museum, New York, while others remained within the family. The paintings in this catalogue are being offered at auction for the first time.
For additional items from the collection of Oscar and Regina Gruss in the present catalogue, see lot nos. 133, 144, 147, 153, 154, 204 and 205.
