Bidspirit auction | Rare Miniature Siddur. Special Copy

Rare Miniature Siddur. Special Copy Printed on Blue Paper. Amsterdam, 1684 * A rare miniature siddur for the months and festivals, according to the custom of the Sephardic communities. This is an exceptionally rare miniature siddur, containing instructions in Ladino and a calendar in Spanish. The entire sefer was printed on dark blue paper. Such special printings on blue paper were generally produced by special commission for a distinguished individual. At the end are [8] leaves with a separate title page, containing a Spanish calendar (Calendario) for the years 1685–1697. On leaf [2] at the beginning of the siddur there is a dedication in Spanish from the publisher David Turis to David ben Yaakov Curiel. The printer was David de Castro Tartas, a descendant of the Spanish anusim (forced converts). His uncle, Rabbi Yitzchak, was one of the anusim burned at the stake in Spain. David de Castro Tartas printed prayer books in Spanish for the descendants of the anusim. He learned the craft of printing in the printing press of Rabbi Menashe ben Yisrael, and opened his own private printing press in 1660 and it remained active for thirty-five years. He possessed a natural talent for typography and made use of high-quality typefaces and fine borders. Amsterdam, 1684. Size: 10.8 cm. Condition: Complete and in fine condition; original wooden binding covered in leather, rubbed, with a new leather spine.