Bidspirit auction | Exquisitely Carved Wooden Binding. Europe,

Exquisitely Carved Wooden Binding. Europe, 19th Century. * A voluminous siddur bound in a fine, thick wooden binding, fashioned as a true work of art with exceptionally fine and intricate carving in expertly worked and sculpted wood, with beautiful elements, reflecting high-quality European craftsmanship. A magnificent and rare Jewish masterpiece, an exceptional example of Eastern European Jewish woodcarving art. The front cover is adorned on the right and left with an outer architectural frame of columns, with a belt and buckle above and below. In the inner section, in the upper heading, appear draped curtains, from which descend the figure of an eagle, a crown, and a Magen David emblem. At the bottom are depicted the Western Wall and the buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. The rear cover is decorated with an intricate lattice pattern. Engraved on the front is the date 1879, together with the name of the owner, “Naftali Kochav.” On the reverse appears the name in English, NAFTALI STERN, alongside an ornate logo of the initials N.S. integrated into a fine decorative emblem. At the center of the cover, the owner’s first name is subtly alluded to through an acrostic formed by the following words: N edavos, P elulei, T echinasi, L eilokei, Y eshuasi. Description: Siddur Nehora Me’alyah (a comprehensive siddur that became popular in Eastern Europe from the late eighteenth century onward) according to Nusach Sefard, with Shemoneh Esrei combining Nusach Ashkenaz and Sefard, and it includes kavanos, the Pesach Hagaddah, yotzros, selichos, ma’amados, Derech HaChaim, Shabbos tikunim, and Sefer Tehillim. Lemberg, 19th Century. Page Count: 338: 95 leaves. Size: 14 cm. Additional title page for Tehillim, missing one of two title pages of the siddur. Condition: Good. The rear wooden cover has a crack in the wood without loss. The siddur is preserved in a new, fabric-covered case. Provenance: William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv. Center for Jewish Art