Collection ID: 0021 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Rylands Ashkenazi Haggadah

Call number

Hebrew MS 7
(Manchester, United Kingdom, The University of Manchester Library, The John Rylands Library, Hebrew Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• former: Crawford MS 7

Publisher

The John Rylands Library

Language

Hebrew

Origin

Place

Ulm, Germany

Summary

This manuscript is a fifteenth-century illuminated Ashkenazi Haggadah, with commentaries.

Notes

• Different later hands have made marginal additions to the text: folios 1b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 8a, 9b, 15b, 30b-32a, 33a.
   

Extent

Ii+50+ii; 230 x 150 mm

Foliation

Modern pencil foliation in Arabic numerals at top outer corner of side a

Support

Parchment

Binding

Brown leather binding, with an imprinted image of a seated man playing a wind instrument

Layout

Main text in long lines of between 5 and 12 written lines; surrounded, mostly on the outer margins, by commentaries; lead pencil ruling

Decoration

Typical illuminated Ashkenazi haggadah where images are integrated with the Hebrew text; decoration was completed in two stages: the first one by the scribe Avraham ben Asher, the second one by a different artist; decoration can be subdivided into four types: 1. Illuminated initial-word panels on folios 1b, 5a, 5b, 20b, 25b, 27b, 28a, 33a, 47a, 48a, 49b; 2. Micrography on folios 4a, 4b, 6a, 6b, 20a, 20b, 21a; 3. Marginal painted depictions on folios 12a, 15b, 29a, 39b, 42b, 47a; 4. Painted illustrations on folios 1b, 5a, 5b, 9b, 10a, 10b, 14a, 23b, 24b, 25b, 33a, 34b

Script

Ashkenzai square hand

Several of the additions were made by an Italian semi-cursive hand.

Abraham ben Asher (scribe)

Subjects topical

• Haggadah
• Religion
• Bible. Old Testament
• Judaism

Genres

• Manuscripts, European

Keywords

• Haggadah
• Micrography
• Jewish
• Biblical
• Scripture
• 15th century
• Hebrew
• Miniature
• Painting
• Illustration
• Germany

Licenses

• Text

  Images are ©2017 The University of Manchester Library Special Collections and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  Metadata is ©2017 The University of Manchester Library Special Collections and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• 1b — Ashkenazi Haggadah
• 1b — Directions for observances peculiar to the first two Passover nights in brown ink (commentary)
• 1b — Marginalia: later additions in black ink
• Inside back cover — Bookplate: Bibliotheca Lindesiana

Decorations

• 1b — Burnished gold initial-word ברוך on a rectangular green panel
• 1b — Marginal decoration, Stag hunt and grotesques
• 4a — Micrography in the shape of a wooden staff or branch
• 4b — Micrography in the shape of a wooden staff or branch
• 5a — Burnished gold initial-word הא on a red panel decorated with fine brush strokes
• 5a — Marginal decorations, Historiated with scenes representing the order from the start of the seder until the meal.
• 5a — Marginal decorations, Animals and grotesques
• 5b — Small miniature, a man pours wine for the second cup
• 5b — Small miniature, a woman hangs a curtain
• 6a — Micrography in the shape of a dragon
• 6b — Micrography in the shape of two fish; one fish bites the other's tail
• 9b — Marginal decoration, Bust of the wise son
• 10a — Marginal decoration, the wicked son depicted as a soldier holding a sabre and wearing a crown
• 10b — Marginal decoration, Bust of the simple son depicted as a jester
• 12a — Two small ink drawings of hands
• 14a — Marginal decoration, Naked children cavorting in a field and trees; the image illustrates the text: כצמח השדה רבבה
• 20a — Micrography in the shape of a running horse
• 20b — Micrography in the shape of a winged dog
• 21a — Micrography in the shape of Jonah being swallowed by the whale
• 23b — Marginal decoration, Hand holding a piece of matza
• 24b — Marginal decoration, Hand holding bitter herbs
• 25b — Small miniature, Blue panel with the initial-word לפיכך
• 27b — Pale green and red panel with the initial-word הללויה. The first part is gilded, the second silvered.
• 28a — Blue panel with the initial-word בינאת
• 33a — Blue panel with the initial-word שפוך
• 33a — Marginal decoration, the Messiah, armed and riding a white ass, is greeted by an angel at the gates of a city, probably Jerusalem.
• 34b — Marginal decoration, Small painting of a well
• 39b — Marginal decoration, a finger pointing to the commentary in the margin
• 42b — Marginal decoration, Grotesque figure with the words למולך עביר מדבר
• 47a — Red panel with the initial-word ץאומ. Small drawing of a hand holding a ring
• 47a — Marginal decoration, Small drawing of a hand holding a ring
• 48a — Red, blue and green panel with the initial-word אז
• 49b — Yellow and green panel with the initial-word כי