Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon (Templo) – Work on the Tabernacle and Cherubim – First Edition – Amsterdam, 1654 – Engravings

Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon (Templo) – Work on the Tabernacle and Cherubim – First Edition – Amsterdam, 1654 – Engravings

Retrato del Tabernaculo de Moseh, by R. Jacob Judah Leon (Templo). Amsterdam: Gillis Joosten, 5414 [1654]. Spanish.
First edition of two works by R. Jacob Judah Leon – a work about the Tabernacle and a work about the cherubim on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. The works were originally composed in Dutch, but were first published together in the present edition, in Spanish, with two impressive engraved plates – an engraving depicting the Tabernacle (with small illustrations of the Tabernacle utensils), and an engraving portraying the encampment of the tribes around the Tabernacle.

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 the nickname of "Templo".

[7] leaves, 88 pages (mispagination) + [2] folded plates. 18 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor creases. Minor marginal tears to some leaves. Ink stamp on title page. Small piece of paper with handwritten inscription attached to one leaf (blank). Parchment binding, worn and damaged, partially detached.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, NHB.123.