Bidspirit auction | Shir Tehillah – Jerusalem, 1887

Shir Tehillah – Jerusalem, 1887 – Poem in Praise of Italian Crown Prince Victor Emmanuel III on His Visit to Jerusalem, By Rishon LeTzion Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar - Large printed leaf – Shir Tehillah, poem in honor of Prince Victor Immanuel, heir apparent of Italy, recited by the Jewish children in Jerusalem. Authored by Rishon LeTzion R. Yaakov Shaul Elyashar, Sephardic Chief Rabbi – Chacham Bashi. Jerusalem: S. Zuckerman & Com., 1887. Hebrew and some Italian. Large printed leaf in gilt ink, within a decorated frame – nine-stanza poem in rhyme and meter, authored in honor of the visit of Italian Crown Prince Victor Emmanuel III in Jerusalem in February 1887. The poem mentions the prince's father, King Umberto I, and Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The author, R. Yaakov Shaul Elyashar (1817-1906), known as the Yisa Berachah (after his usual signature incorporating his initials), was the Rishon LeTzion, Chief Rabbi and head of the Jerusalem Beit Din. Victor Emmanuel III (1869-1947), son of King Umberto I, was King of Italy from 1900-1946, seeing it through both World Wars. After the March on Rome, he appointed Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister, leading the way to Italy's Fascist dictatorship. 38 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks and creases. Rare. One copy only recorded in WorldCat (the NLI copy). Sh. Halevy, no. 769.