Illustrated Esther scroll. [Ottoman Empire? ca. early 20th century].

Ink and paint on parchment; wood.

A unique, unusually designed Esther scroll, inscribed on three parchment membranes glued together. Square script with vocalization, cantillation marks, and verse divisions. Text and decorations appear on both sides of the parchment sheets. The front side features an illustrated title panel with the inscription "Megillat Esther", followed by 16 columns of text. The reverse side contains 13 columns of text and three additional illustrated panels. The scroll is stitched and nailed to a wooden handle.

This unusual megillah includes an opening illustration, 29 columns of text, and three large concluding illustrations. Each text column and illustration is surrounded by an interwoven border composed of a repeating pattern of branches with green leaves and golden flowers or fruits.

The title inscription "Megillat Esther" appears within a garland of branches adorned with a fabric ribbon, topped by an illustration of an ornate Ottoman-style turban decorated with gold embellishments.

The three concluding illustrations depict key scenes from the Purim story: Esther before King Ahasuerus, Haman leading Mordechai on horseback, and Haman and his ten sons hanging on the gallows.

The characters in these illustrations are dressed in Ottoman-style garments: in the first illustration, twelve royal guards appear dressed as Ottoman soldiers, wearing blue uniforms and pointed hats. In the second illustration, Mordechai and Haman wear turbans, while a guard wears a turban with a pointed ornament. In the third illustration, several of the figures also wear Ottoman-style turbans.

Height of parchment: 13 cm. Length of scroll: approx. 180.5 cm. Wooden handle: 18 cm. Overall good condition. Some staining and minor wear, with slight damage to ink and text. Housed in a cylindrical cardboard case covered in leather with gilt-tooling (with a removable lid), its interior lined with marbled paper, height: 18.5 cm, diameter: 7 cm.