Auction 106 Incunabula and First Editions | Illuminated Manuscripts | Jewish Ceremonial Art
Kitzur Piskei HaRosh – First Edition – Constantinople, 1515
Opening: $18,000
Sold for: $62,500
Including buyer's premium
Kitzur Piskei HaRosh, authored by R. Yaakov, author of the Tur. Constantinople: Yehudah son of Yosef Sason and Shmuel son of David ibn Nachmias, 1515. First edition.
Rare first edition of Kitzur Piskei HaRosh – an abridgment of the halachic rulings of R. Asher son of Yechiel (the Rosh, 1250-1327), one of the three authorities (alongside the Rif and Rambam) who formed the basis for the halachic rulings of R. Yosef Karo in his Shulchan Aruch. The original Piskei HaRosh follow the order of the Babylonian Talmud; this abridgment of those rulings, Kitzur Piskei HaRosh, was written by the Rosh's son, R. Yaakov, author of the Tur, and they were printed in later editions together with the Piskei HaRosh, in the back matter of Talmud editions.
Title page with fine decorated woodcut frame, displaying figures of animals and vegetal patterns.
Colophon on last leaf: "The labor was completed… and typeset by the professional typesetters… R. Yehudah son of R. Yosef Sason and R. Shmuel son of R. David ibn Nachmias… and it was completed on Wednesday, 6th Adar [1515], in Constantinople…".
On title page, printer's device of Yehudah Sason – a rampant lion in white against a black background, within a square frame (see: Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, Jerusalem, 1944, pp. 7, 126, no. 8).
Censorship expurgations to several leaves (one leaf with several lines deleted).
On title page, the word "corrected" appears (possibly referring to the censorship). Additional inscriptions on title page and p. 2a, deleted with ink.
On p. 104b, short gloss in Sephardic script.
On last page – signatures of censors: Giovanni Domenico Vistorini, dated 1609; Domenico Jerosolimitano (dated 1595?); Alessandro Scipione (last two signatures partly trimmed).
116 leaves. 26.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including somewhat dark dampstains to margins of some leaves. Worming, affecting text (significant worming affecting text in one place, to approx. eight leaves). Open tears to inner margins of several leaves, not affecting text. Paper repairs to upper part of title page and margins of several leaves. Old binding with leather spine, somewhat loose. Wear and defects to binding.