Auction 102 Part 1 Hebrew Manuscripts and Books from the Victor (Avigdor) Klagsbald Collection
Five Books of the Torah in Latin – Strasbourg, 1522
Biblia sacrae scripturae veteris omnia, ex antiquiss... [Strasbourg: Johann Knoblauch, 1522]. Latin.
The Five Books of the Torah in Latin. Illustrated initial words are featured within the text. Title page is enclosed within an elegant woodcut border, consisting patterns of flowers, leaves, and branches, along with four allegorical female figures: Judaism with eyes covered, Christianity with eyes open, Truth emerging from the earth, and Justice observing from above (based on the verse "Truth will sprout from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven", Tehillim 85:12).
The printer's name is subtly indicated at the bottom of the title page border: a heraldic shield bearing three crossed garlic bulbs (Knoblauch is German for 'garlic'). Johann Knoblauch often incorporated this printer's device into the borders and decorations of his title pages, sometimes alongside the allegorical figure of Truth, similar to the figure appearing in the title page of the present copy.
Fine, old, decorated leather binding.
[8], 196 leaves. 17.5 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Stains, including numerous dampstains. Inscriptions. Minor worming. Slight tears to edges of several leaves. Some gatherings partially detached from the binding. Front endpaper affixed to the binding with acid-free tape. Wear, tears, and worming to binding; minor tears to spine.
See: Howard W. Winger, The Cover Design, in: The Library Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 3, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, July 1967, p. 270.
