Bidspirit auction | Decorated Esther Scroll with Original

Decorated Esther Scroll with Original Wooden Handle and Accompanying Blessings Leaf – Italy, 18th/19th Century – Calderon Family - Decorated Esther scroll in large format, with accompanying blessings leaf. Italy, [perhaps Ancona or the region, 18th or early 19th century]. Ink and paint on parchment; turned wood. Esther scroll written on 4 parchment membranes sewn together, 10 wide text columns, 24 lines per column, with Tagim. Edge of tab at beginning of scroll artistically cut, with a large vegetal pattern decoration colored green and red. Rectangular frames colored yellow and red border the edges of the entire scroll and separate columns, and another colorful decoration in a vegetal pattern appears on tab at end of last membrane. The scroll is accompanied by a large blessings leaf comprising the blessings recited on the Megillah reading and the piyyut Korei Megillah by R. Avraham ibn Ezra. The blessings leaf is decorated to match, with a large cartouche captioned with the scroll's owner's name: ”This Megillah belongs to the honorable Yitzchak Calderon”. Original wooden roller. Height of parchment: 21 cm. Blessings leaf: 19.5X37.5 cm. Height of handle: 37.5 cm. Most of scroll in good condition. Stains, creases and fading of ink and paint in several places, especially beginning and end of scroll as well as blessings leaf, slightly affecting text. Tear to edge of first membrane. Some worming at end of last membrane and wooden handle. Some open fractures to handle.