Two manuscript documents recording the history of the Jewish Converso family Dela Cavalleria of the island of Mallorca:

1. Manuscript on parchment – Contract signed between Fernando Dela Cavalleria and his mother, Beatriz, concerning the family’s property. Mallorca, 1536. Latin and Catalan.

The contract stipulates Fernando’s obligations toward his widowed mother, Beatriz, and his brothers – Francisco, Pancho, and Geronimo. Under its terms, Fernando undertakes to provide food and lodging for his mother and brothers. The agreement also defines his rights to the inheritance expected upon his mother’s death.

Signed before witnesses and before the notary Antonio Bosfa, whose elaborate notarial sign designed as a compass rose appears at the foot of the document. On the verso, a contemporary handwritten summary of the contract.

Approx. 30X36 cm. Good-fair condition. Minor tears, creases, and stains. Fold marks. Stamp on verso.

2. Manuscript Genealogy of the Dela Cavalleria family. [Mallorca, ca. 18th century]. Spanish.

A genealogical chart of the noble family of Conversos Dela Cavalleria, whose members lived for several generations on the island of Mallorca. The chart notes the family’s marriage connections with the Orlandis family of Pisa, Italy, as well as with other noble families, including the Pardo and Vivot families.

The first leaf features a large full-page hand-drawn coat of arms.

The Dela Cavalleria family (also spelled Caballeria), of Converso origin, was among the most prominent Jewish families of Zaragoza (Aragon, northeastern Iberian Peninsula). They traced their ancestry to the Ben Lavi family, whose notable members included Don Vidal Ben Lavi (correspondent of Rabbi Isaac ben Sheshet [Rivash] on various halachic matters), Solomon Ben Lavi (translator of Emuna Ramah), Rabbi Shimon Lavi, kabbalist and author of the piyyut "Bar Yochai", and others. The name "Dela Cavalleria" originated in the 13th century, from the family’s close association with the Knights Templar (L'Orde dels Pobres Cavallers de Crist i del Temple de Salomó in Catalan).

Several members of the family served in public office and in the service of the kings of Aragon, were patrons of the arts, and acquired noble titles. Following the anti-Jewish riots of 1391, some descendants converted to Christianity, and the family split into several branches. During the 15th century, a central branch settled in Mallorca, and several places in Mallorca and Menorca still bear the family's name.

The Orlandis family, an important noble family originating in Pisa, Italy, settled a branch in Mallorca, and in the 18th century intermarried with the Dela Cavalleria family (as documented in the present family tree).

[3] leaves. 31.5 cm. Good condition. Wear and stains. Minor marginal tears. Later additions in pencil (English). Modern binding.

Two royal documents of the Holy Roman Empire, one signed by Empress Maria Theresa and the other by her husband, Emperor Francis I. Vienna, mid-18th century. German and Latin.

Written on large parchment sheets in elegant calligraphic script, with official wax seals.

• Document signed by Empress Maria Theresa. Vienna, 27 April 1748. German with some Latin.

Royal writ for Brother Malachias Amhoff, representative of the Holy Places on behalf of the Franciscan Order, confirming his appointment as authorized representative for collecting donations for the upkeep of the Holy Places in Jerusalem. The document grants him the right to travel freely within the Holy Roman Empire, collect contributions, and act on behalf of the Order, instructing all civil and ecclesiastical authorities to grant him assistance, protection, and support in his mission.

Approx. 35X58 cm. Good to fair condition. Fold marks. Stains, creases, and minor blemishes.

• Document signed by Emperor Franz I. Vienna, 16 February 1757. Latin.

Royal writ for Father Felicianus Freiseysen, a Franciscan friar in Hungary, granting him and his companions permission to undertake a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The document issues an official travel license on behalf of the Empire, guaranteeing free and safe passage by land and sea, and instructing all civil and ecclesiastical authorities to provide him with assistance, protection, and support.

Approx. 50X69 cm. Good condition. Fold marks and minor creases.

Manuscript, lengthy letter by R. Immanuel Aboab, on the behavior of Jewish merchants who waited too long to leave the Iberian Peninsula. [Amsterdam, late 17th to early 18th century]. Portuguese. Scribal copy.

The present manuscript is the only one known to be written in Portuguese, the dominant spoken language among the former Marranos in Amsterdam. Written in Amsterdam (based on watermarks) but evidently translated from a Spanish original dated ca. 1626-1627.

The letter discusses Marranos who, for financial or other reasons, refused to leave the Iberian Peninsula and continued to live under the Inquisition. The letter also discusses those Marranos who, though having immigrated to a country with greater freedom for open practice of Judaism – France, Flanders, Italy or the Ottoman Empire – did not join the existing Jewish communities, did not openly return to Judaism, or in some cases returned to Spain. The letter includes discussion of the Marranos with respect to their honest and dishonest business practices, fashion, gambling, their success in their new lands, and more. R. Imanuel Aboab begs the Marranos to return fully to Judaism and join communities in Europe, such as Amsterdam, Venice, Livorno or the Ottoman Empire.

Pages numbered with catchwords; erasures and corrections.

R. Imanuel Aboab (ca. 1555-1628) was born in Porto, Portugal to a distinguished family of Spanish exiles whose members included R. Yitzchak Aboab, author of Menorat HaMaor, and R. Yitzchak Aboab of Castile. He was orphaned as a child and was raised in the home of his grandfather Avraham, and in 1585 he moved to Italy in order to openly return to Judaism. He wandered from city to city in Italy, including Pisa, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara and Venice, and in the course of his travels he participated in theological debates with Christian scholars, managing a vast correspondence on ethics and Biblical exegesis. He served as rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community of Venice. He authored his Nomologia between 1615-1625; in 1628 he immigrated to Eretz Israel, following his daughter Gracia, who had established yeshivas in Safed and Jerusalem, and he passed away there.

Cecil Roth published Immanuel Aboab's letter in Spanish, which is extant in a small number of manuscripts that circulated among the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of converso origin.

For further information, see:

• Cecil Roth, Immanuel Aboab's Proselytization of the Marranos. From an Unpublished Letter, Jewish Quarterly Review, XXIII, 2 (1932), pp. 121-162.

• Moises Orfali, Imanuel Aboab's Nomologia or discursos legales: The Struggle over the Authority of the Law, Jerusalem 1997 (Hebrew).

Provenance: Mozes Heiman Gans collection, no. 14.

[44] leaves. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including light dampstains. Creases. Tears and minor holes to margins, not affecting text. Pen inscriptions inside front board (new). Old parchment binding, with wear and defects.

Bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.

We thank Prof. Harm den Boer, Basel, for his assistance in preparing this description.

Pardes Shoshanim – Asirei HaTikvah, allegorical play in rhyme, in three acts, by Joseph Penso de la Vega (author of Mehumat HaMehumot – Confusion de Confusiones, Amsterdam 1688). Amsterdam: Yosef Athias, 1673.

Morality play in three acts, on the theme of human free will. The play's hero is an unnamed king, representing man's free will. Satan attempts to tempt the king to evil, using his three servants – Pleasure, the Evil Inclination and Woman. They are opposed by Intellect, Providence, Truth and an Angel of G-d, who attempt to direct him to the right path.

Penso authored this play in 1667 (about six years before it was printed), at the young age of 17, and he is in fact referred to on the title page as "the young student" (Schirmann, referenced below, argues that the play may have been staged when Penso finished his school studies).

The book begins with an approbation in Portuguese by R. Moshe Refael de Aguilar and R. Avraham Kohen Pimentel, as well as a dedication in Portuguese by the author to his father, Yitzchak Felix Penso. The author's introduction is followed by many poems in praise of the book, in Hebrew, Spanish and Latin, by distinguished contemporary rabbis and poets (including the authors of the approbations).

Ownership inscriptions on title page: "Belongs to my father R. Pinchas Posner".

[20], 54 leaves. 14.5 cm. Most leaves in good condition. Stains. Small tears to title page and several other leaves, repaired with paper. Old binding, with defects.

See: A. Yaari, HaMachazeh HaIvri, Jerusalem 1956, p. 104 (Yaari notes that this is the first Hebrew play to be published by its author); Ch. Schirmann, LeToldot HaShirah VehaDrama HaIvrit, Mechkarim UMasot, Mosad Bialik, Jerusalem 1980, II, pp. 132-137.

The author,
Joseph (Yosef) Penso de la Vega (1650-1692), was a Jewish-Dutch merchant, preacher, poet and philanthropist, and a member of the Sephardic-Portuguese community in Amsterdam. He was born to a family of Marranos originating near Cordova, Andalusia, who fled to Holland to practice Judaism openly. Penso was educated in the Sephardic Torah school in Amsterdam, under the auspices of R. Moshe Refael de Aguilar and R. Yitzchak Aboab. Like his father, Yitzchak Penso, he was also a merchant, but in addition to his financial activities he also took part in cultural and spiritual community life.

He was one of the founders of literary circles ("academies") in Amsterdam and Livorno, and some of his addresses to these groups have been published. He authored poetry and prose, mainly in Spanish. Of special note is his early Hebrew play Asirei HaTikvah (Amsterdam, 1673), authored at the young age of 17, widely celebrated and considered one of the first plays to be printed in Hebrew. His fame is mainly due to his Mehumat HaMehumot (Confusion de Confusiones), published in Amsterdam in 1688, regarded as the first literary work about the stock market. The book, written as a philosophical dialogue, drew attention even outside of Jewish circles, and was translated to various languages and printed in many editions over the course of the 20th century. In 2000 the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) began to award the De La Vega prize, named for him, to outstanding securities researchers.