Passover Haggadah – Artistically Illuminated Manuscript, with Appliques – Germany, 18th Century

Passover Haggadah, with laws and customs; manuscript, written and illustrated by Raphael Neckarsulm. [Germany], 1796. With instructions and Piyyutim translated to Yiddish-Deitsch.
The Haggada was written in black and red ink, on thick paper of good quality. Each leaf is framed. The text is in square script, vowelized; the laws are in semi-cursive script (Rashi), and the Yiddish-Deitsch in "Tsena Ure'ena" script. The laws derive from various sources. Next to each of the Simanim of the Passover Seder ["Kadesh", "Urechatz", etc], in decorated letters, appear instructions in rhymed prose, in Hebrew and in Yiddish-Deitsch. The songs "Echad Mi Yodea" and "Had Gadya" are translated to Yiddish-Detisch, stanza by stanza.
The manuscript is accompanied by nine illustrations, two are in black and white and the others are in color, with appliqué of pieces of colorful cloth (illustrations were prepared on separate leaves and pasted on the Haggadah leaves): · A colorful illustration of a gate appears at the beginning of the manuscript – a remarkable architectural structure with four columns, two featuring intertwining grapevines with clusters of grapes. · On leaf [7b] appears a colorful illustration of a basket with flowers. · On leaf [9] a colorful illustration of the Four Sons (after the Amsterdam Haggadah), decorated with various pieces of fabric.
· On leaf [12], an illustration in black and white of Moses drawn from the Nile. · On leaf [13] an illustration in black and white of Moses and Aaron in Pharaoh’s palace. · On leaf [14] a particularly colorful illustration, with pieces of paper and fabrics, depicting the five sages around the Passover Seder table in Bnei Brak, with frogs on the table and on the floor (to illustrate the Plague of Frogs and the verse “…ten plagues”). · On leaf [16b] a colorful depiction of the Passover Seder and “Matzah Zo”, portraying a figure holding a stick (to illustrate the Exodus from Egypt). · On leaf [23b] a woman is depicted, dressed in fine garments, opening wooden doors (folding to the sides) revealing the word “Shefoch”, cut out of cloth and pasted on golden fabric. · On leaf [24], at the beginning of “Halel” a small illustration in color of King David kneeling, with his harp in front of him.
The artist, who signed his name on the title page, is Raphael ben Itzik Neckarsulm. Two other manuscripts illustrated by him are known: one is a manuscript of a Passover Haggadah similar to the one offered here, created in 1797 – collection of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New-York, ms. 8338; the manuscript in the collection of JTS features less illustrations and only one illustration in color, for “Shefoch”. The second manuscript is “Memorbuch” of the Laubheim Congregation Synagogue, also dated 1979 – collection of the National Library of Israel, Jerusalem (ms.Heb 105 °4).
An ownership inscription appears at the beginning of the manuscript: “This Haggadah was presented by Chuna (?) Breitlinger to Rabbi Yosef ben Leib Brelengold in 1819”.
A fine volume, gilt edges. Binding covered with pink velvet, with colorful embroidery of a floral frame, a medallion with sequins and a golden ribbon. The initials “RJ” are embroidered in the medallions on the front and on the reverse.
[38] leaves, 22.5 cm. Overall good condition. Blurred ink stamp on title page. Stains (mainly food and wine stains) on many of the leaves. Wear, some stains and tears to binding. Contained in the original leather and cardboard case, worn (torn, missing parts).
Provenance:
1. Collection of Rabbi Dr. Arthur Zechariya Schwartz, Vienna-Jerusalem.
2. Collection of Teddy and Tamar Kollek, Jerusalem.