Auction 95 Early Printed Books, Chassidut and Kabbalah, Letters and Manuscripts, Engravings and Jewish Ceremonial Objects
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![“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut, painted in watercolor, for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], 1914.P](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale95/353.jpg "Yosef Zvi Geiger – Fine, Colorful Papercut for Shavu’ot – Safed, 1914")
“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut, painted in watercolor, for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], 1914.
Papercut, hand-made and painted in watercolor, with gilt calligraphy. The work centers around the (Hebrew) words “In Honor of the Holiday of Shavu’ot, Festival of the Giving of the Torah” in large gilt letters. Surrounding the letters and intertwined within them are slender branches bearing flowers, buds, and leaves. Birds are perched on the branches. Inscribed (in Hebrew) on the back of the papercut: “Made in Year 1914”.
The art of papercutting is believed to be the quintessential expression of European Jewish folk art. Eastern European Jewish papercuts assumed many different forms and exhibited a wealth of themes and motifs, to serve a wide range of purposes. They were used as “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; “Yahrzeit” plaques; “Shir HaMa’alot” (“Song of Ascent”, Psalms 121) plaques, believed to give protection to childbearing mothers and newborns; “roizelakh” (rose-shaped ornaments) to decorate the household during the Shavu’ot holiday; “Ushpizin” plaques for the Sukkot holiday; and other forms of items.
The present papercut represents a local "Eretz Israel" variation on the type of "roizelakh" made specifically for Shavu'ot; unlike its Eastern European counterparts, this one is not symmetrical, nor is it laid out according to the typical plan of Shavu'ot roizelakh from Eastern Europe. Nor does it follow the design of other, more traditional, Shavu'ot roizelakh made by Geiger himself. But it does in fact resemble "Mizrah" and "Shiviti" papercut plaques, and its creator, Yosef Zvi Geiger, lived and was active among the inhabitants of the Old Jewish Yishuv in Safed, many of whose members had brought with them the traditions of the Eastern European Jewish communities from which they originated.
See following items.
23.5X24 cm. Overall good condition. Pinholes to margins. Few stains and creases. Slight tears. Small repairs with adhesive tape.
Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most accomplished and prominent public figures involved with Safed’s Torah and charity institutions. Served as general secretary of Safed’s “kolel” institutions, and was influential in running them. His home served as a regular meeting place for the “gaba’im” (managers) of the various “kolelim” and congregations. The Yishuv’s foremost newspapers – including “Havatzelet, ” “HaLevanon, ” and “HaZefirah” – all regularly published his articles. His penmanship and elegant calligraphy rendered his handwriting eminently legible; among his many other duties, he served as a “sofer” (ritual scribe) for the kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in his hometown of Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; calligraphic and illustrated title pages for “donors’ books”; illuminated donors’ certificates and letters of greeting; and papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries in Safed glowingly recall the beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the town’s couples, decorated with gilt lettering and with floral and vegetal patterns; and artworks he created to adorn the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit entire biblical verses onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi’s grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled “One of the Elders of Safed, ” Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone, and his lettering appears on a number of Safed’s headstones.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
![“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], Sivan 1915.Symmetrical papercu](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale95/354.jpg "Yosef Zvi Geiger – Papercut for Shavu’ot– “The Lord’s Torah is Perfect")
“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], Sivan 1915.
Symmetrical papercut, hand-made and painted in watercolor, and decorated in gilt. The work centers around a rounded octagonal star with decorated sides, enclosed within a circle. The surface and corners are all cut in patterns of flowers, branches, and leaves. In the middle of the star is a colored pitcher; rising out of the pitcher are branches with flowers, and a pair of birds hovers in the middle foreground. The leaves encircling the pitcher and birds bears a gilt (Hebrew) inscription: “The Law [Torah] of the Lord is perfect / restoring / the soul… / the precepts of the Lord / are right / rejoicing / the heart…” (Psalms 19:7-8). The papercut is titled and dated in pencil (in Hebrew) on the back: “Made in Sivan Year 5765 [1915], time of the Great War / a year of wars [involving] most of the world, a year of moratorium”.
See also previous item and following items.
23.5X24 cm. Overall good condition. Pinholes to margins. Few stains and creases. Minor repairs with adhesive tape.
Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most accomplished and prominent public figures involved with Safed’s Torah and charity institutions. Served as general secretary of Safed’s “kolel” institutions, and was influential in running them. His home served as a regular meeting place for the “gaba’im” (managers) of the various “kolelim” and congregations. The Yishuv’s foremost newspapers – including “Havatzelet, ” “HaLevanon, ” and “HaZefirah” – all regularly published his articles. His penmanship and elegant calligraphy rendered his handwriting eminently legible; among his many other duties, he served as a “sofer” (ritual scribe) for the kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in his hometown of Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; calligraphic and illustrated title pages for “donors’ books”; illuminated donors’ certificates and letters of greeting; and papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries in Safed glowingly recall the beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the town’s couples, decorated with gilt lettering and with floral and vegetal patterns; and artworks he created to adorn the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit entire biblical verses onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi’s grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled “One of the Elders of Safed, ” Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone, and his lettering appears on a number of Safed’s headstones.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh”, papercut in a pattern of birds and flowers for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], [1908].
Papercut, hand-made and painted in watercolor. The work centers around two roses encircled by smaller flowers, leaves, and birds. In their beaks, two of the birds carry notes that, when combined, bear the Hebrew liturgical phrase “For this holiday / of Shavu’ot”. Toward the bottom, in the middle, is a strip inscribed (in Hebrew) with the Biblical verse “I am a rose of Sharon, a rose of the valleys” (Song of Songs 2:1). The papercut is dated in pencil (in Hebrew) on verso: “Made in Year Tarsa-het” (Hebrew year 5668 = 1908).
See also two previous item and following items.
23X24 cm. Overall good condition. Pinholes to edges. Few stains and creases. Minor repairs with adhesive tape.
Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most accomplished and prominent public figures involved with Safed’s Torah and charity institutions. Served as general secretary of Safed’s “kolel” institutions, and was influential in running them. His home served as a regular meeting place for the “gaba’im” (managers) of the various “kolelim” and congregations. The Yishuv’s foremost newspapers – including “Havatzelet, ” “HaLevanon, ” and “HaZefirah” – all regularly published his articles. His penmanship and elegant calligraphy rendered his handwriting eminently legible; among his many other duties, he served as a “sofer” (ritual scribe) for the kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in his hometown of Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; calligraphic and illustrated title pages for “donors’ books”; illuminated donors’ certificates and letters of greeting; and papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries in Safed glowingly recall the beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the town’s couples, decorated with gilt lettering and with floral and vegetal patterns; and artworks he created to adorn the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit entire biblical verses onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi’s grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled “One of the Elders of Safed, ” Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone, and his lettering appears on a number of Safed’s headstones.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
![“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh, ” papercut for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], 1903.Symmetrical papercut, ha](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale95/356.jpg "Yosef Zvi Geiger – Papercut for Shavu’ot – Pair of Deer and a Flowerin")
“Shavuos’el” / “roizeleh, ” papercut for the holiday of Shavu’ot, by Yosef Zvi Geiger. [Safed], 1903.
Symmetrical papercut, hand-made and painted in watercolor. The work centers around a large flower, situated on top of a tree. Sprouting outward from the flower are leaves, and branches bearing buds and much smaller flowers in a different color. The tree is flanked by a pair of deer. The papercut is titled and dated in pencil (in Hebrew) on verso: “Made in Year 5663 [1903] on the occasion of the holiday of Shavu’ot.”
See also previous items.
23.5X21 cm. Overall good condition. Pinholes to edges. Few stains and creases. Several minor tears.
Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most accomplished and prominent public figures involved with Safed’s Torah and charity institutions. Served as general secretary of Safed’s “kolel” institutions, and was influential in running them. His home served as a regular meeting place for the “gaba’im” (managers) of the various “kolelim” and congregations. The Yishuv’s foremost newspapers – including “Havatzelet, ” “HaLevanon, ” and “HaZefirah” – all regularly published his articles. His penmanship and elegant calligraphy rendered his handwriting eminently legible; among his many other duties, he served as a “sofer” (ritual scribe) for the kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in his hometown of Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid “Mizrah” and “Shiviti” plaques; calligraphic and illustrated title pages for “donors’ books”; illuminated donors’ certificates and letters of greeting; and papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries in Safed glowingly recall the beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the town’s couples, decorated with gilt lettering and with floral and vegetal patterns; and artworks he created to adorn the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit entire biblical verses onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi’s grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled “One of the Elders of Safed, ” Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone, and his lettering appears on a number of Safed’s headstones.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Two portfolios containing series of lithographs by the Dutch-Jewish artists David Blanes, depicting Jewish motifs. Hand-signed and numbered [1920s?]:
1. "Mitzvot" – portfolio containing five lithographs portraying various Jewish "Mitzvot": "Kiddushin", "Kiddush", "Yahrtzeit", "Brit Milah", and "Tisha BeAv". Copy no. 22 of a limited edition of 220 numbered copies, with the artist's signature under each of the lithographs. The prints are contained in the original portfolio, featuring an additional lithograph, depicting a Jewish figure reading the Torah, flanked by two Shabbat candles (with the artist's signature on the inner flap).
5 lithographs. 30X44 cm. Good condition. Minor wear to portfolio. Tear along the fold of the front flap, restored with acid-free tape.
2. "Yom Tov" – portfolio containing five lithographs depicting customs of Jewish holidays and other occasions: "Shofar", "Seder", "Arba'at Haminim", "Simchat Torah", and "Vidui". Copy no. 5 of a limited edition of 250 numbered copies, with the artist's signature under each of the lithographs. The prints are contained in the original portfolio, featuring an additional lithograph, depicting a table set for the Shabbat meal.
Approx. 29.5X43.5 cm. Good condition. Minor tears to portfolio, restored with acid-free tape.
David Blanes (1869-1967), Dutch-Jewish painter, lithographer and draftsman; native of Amsterdam, whose work is, for the most part, concerned with various Jewish motifs. Blanes studied art in the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam (Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten); live and worked in Amsterdam, Antwerpen and Paris.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Two matching incunabula leaves; a leaf from the folio edition and a leaf from the quarto edition of the "Nuremberg Chronicle" by Hartmann Schedel, containing woodcuts depicting the burning of Jews in the 14th century:
1. Leaf CCXX of the folio German edition of the "Nuremberg Chronicle" (Weltchronik). Nuremberg, Anton Koberger, 1493. German.
Approx. 41 cm. Good condition. Stains and minor blemishes.
2. Smal, hand-colored leaf, from the quarto edition of the "Nuremberg Chronicle" (Liber Chronicarum), often called "Little Schedel". Augsburg, Johan Schönsperger, 1497. Latin.
Approx. 31 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor marginal tears and open tears.
The incunabulum "Nuremberg Chronicle" is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful books of the early days of the printing press, and among the first printed books to contain in-text illustrations. The woodcuts contained within were created by painter and printmaker Michael Wohlgemut, 1434/37-1519, who was among the most prominent of Nuremberg's artists at the time – in Wohlgemut's own workshop. Among the apprentices and students in this workshop was Albrecht Dürer, who is thought by some to be responsible for a few of the illustrations appearing in the Chronicle.
The "Small Schedel" (Kleine Schedel) is a quarto edition of the Chronicle published by Johann Schönsperger – one of Germany's most prominent printers and a printer for Kaiser Maximilian I. This edition was printed in a smaller type, maintaining an identical design to the original edition, and featured miniature versions of the original woodcuts. In an effort to reduce costs, the "Kleine Schedel" was printed on lower-quality paper, resulting in only a handful of surviving copies to this day.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
![Portrait of Menasseh ben Israel. Engraving by Salom Italia. [The Netherlands], 1642.This portrait of Menasseh ben Israel is e](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale95/359.jpg "Portrait of Menasseh ben Israel – By Salom Italia – The Netherlands, 1")
Portrait of Menasseh ben Israel. Engraving by Salom Italia. [The Netherlands], 1642.
This portrait of Menasseh ben Israel is encircled with the Latin inscription: “Menasseh ben Israel Theologus et Philisophus Hebraeus / Peregrinando Quaerimus.” Underneath the portrait is a poem – also in Latin – singing his praises.
R. Menasseh ben Israel (1604-1657), French-born rabbi, preacher and statesman; founder of the first Hebrew press in Amsterdam. He was very active on behalf of the Jews in the Diaspora, and the Marranos of Spain and Portugal. He played an important role in the readmission of the Jews to England, after their expulsion in 1290 on the orders of Edward I. This is his most famous and important portrait.
The copper engraver Salom ben Mordechai Italia (also Italiae and d’Italia), who moved to the Netherlands from Mantua, Italy, was noted mostly as a creator and decorator of ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts) and Esther scrolls. However, he also gained fame thanks to this particular portrait of Menasseh ben Israel, as well as his portrait of Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon Templo. He died in the Netherlands, roughly 1655.
19X13.5 cm. Good condition. Fine, light-colored copy. Mounted on thick paper board (from the 19th century?), 23X17 cm, stains to corners.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Lot 360 Portrait of Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon Templo, 1665 – Illustrations of the Temple and Tabernacle
Portrait of Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon “Templo”. Engraving by Conrad Buno, from the book “De Templo Hierosolymitano” by Jacob Judah Aryeh Leon Templo. [Helmstadt, Germany, 1665].
Portrait of R. Jacob Judah Leon Templo, holding a scroll.
A small vignette in the lower margins depicts the contents of the scroll held by R. Templo: A small figure representing Moses, observing the land of Canaan ("For from afar, you will see the land, but you will not come there", Deuteronomy, 32, 52).
Flanked by the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. The portrait is encircled by a Latin inscription: "Effigies uiri doctissimi et clarissimi Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis Hebræi autoris Structuræ templi Salomonici facti anno 1641". Signed in print.
The present engraving was made after a portrait of R. Templo created by R. Salom Italia some 20 years prior, in the 1740's.
R. Jacob Judah Leon Templo (1603 – after 1675), a 17th century Torah scholar in Amsterdam. Born in Portugal to a family of Spanish exiles, he studied in Amsterdam under the rabbi of the Neveh Shalom community, R. Yitzchak Uziel. He was renowned for his books on the prominent Biblical structures and utensils – the Tabernacle, Solomon's temple, and the Ark of the Covenant, which R. Leon described for the first time based on contemporary scientific knowledge. His pioneering work earned him renown throughout Europe, and drew the attention of contemporary rulers – King Charles II, William II Prince of Orange, and Augustus Duke of Brunswick (who commissioned German translations of the works). Following the success of his books, R. Judah Leon created a model of Solomon's temple with small scale utensils, earning him the nickname of "Templo".
18X28 cm. Good condition. Some stains. Minor creases. Tiny hole.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Portrait of Samuel de Leon Benavente. Mezzotint print by Peter Schenk, after painting by Michiel van Musscher. [Amsterdam?, ca. 1701].
Samuel de Leon Benavente (1643-1723), a Jewish physician and surgeon renowned for his expertise in extracting kidney stones. During his time, this procedure was undertaken by only a select few doctors, given the significant risks it posed to patients' lives.
Printed in the margins is a rhymed poem dedicated to Benavente by the Dutch poet Hermanus Angelkot: "Dit 's Benavente die door kunst, en door geluk / Den steen haalt uijt de Blaas, en uit het hart den druk" [literally: "this is Benavente who, through skill and through luck, removes the stone from the bladder and relieves the pressure from the heart."]
28.5X19.5 cm. Good condition. Few pinholes. Inscription to margins.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
The Most Learned Aaron Hart, Rabbi, Aged 81. Portrait of R. Aaron Hart. Mezzotint by James McArdell, after Bartholomew Dandridge. London: printed for G. Pulley, 1751.
High-quality portrait, depicting R. Aaron Hart at the age of 81; his right-hand resting on the book of his father-in-law – Beit Shmuel, and his left-hand holding a folded document inscribed in Hebrew "Get" (divorce document).
R. Aaron (Uri Phoebus) Hart-Hamburger (1670-1756), first chief rabbi of the British Empire (a position he held until his passing, for over fifty years) and founder of the Great Synagogue in London. Son-in-law of R. Shmuel Rabbi of Fürth, author of Beit Shmuel. He authored the Urim VeTumim booklet regarding the London Get polemic (London, 1706; the document inscribed "Get" seen in the present print alludes to his involvement in this affair).
35.5X25.5 cm. Overall good condition. Some minor marginal stains and creases. Mounted on old board, 36.5X26.5 cm, fair condition, with marginal tears and corners lacking.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Lot 363 Portrait of R. Moshe Nasch Rabbi of Zwolle – Engraving – The Netherlands, Early 19th Century
Portrait of R. Moshe son of Yoel Nasch (Nias; Nikolsburg), rabbi of Zwolle (the Netherlands) – engraving by A. Joëls, partially hand-colored. [The Netherlands, early 19th century].
R. Moshe son of Yoel Nasch is portrayed within a round frame resting on three books he authored. The following inscription is printed beneath the portrait: "The portrait… of the perfect scholar, the honored and renowned R. Moshe Nasch, rabbi and dean of the Zwolle community…".
R. Moshe son of Yoel Nasch (or: of Nasch – Nikolsburg) served as posek in Nijkerk (Gelderland) for some thirty years. In 1802, he was appointed rabbi of Zwolle (Overijssel province). He passed away in Elul, 1807. This portrait documents three books he authored, titled: Yismach Moshe, VaYoel Moshe and VaYaster Moshe. Apart from Yismach Moshe (printed in 1771), his other books are currently unknown.
Engraving: 15X9.5 cm. Good condition. Old tape stains to upper margin, on both sides of leaf.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
“A Prospect of the Portuguese and High German Jews Churches at Amsterdam”. Engraving after Abraham Rademaker. [Amsterdam, undated, ca. from 1730 to 1752].