Bidspirit auction | Important and Special Facsimile: Worms

Important and Special Facsimile: Worms Mahzor, Iluminated Manuscrip from the 13th Century - Jerusalem, 1986 All the Sections in the Original Case - Magnificent facsimile, important and special of a manuscript known as the Worms Mahzor which was written in 1272 and was used by the Worms Synagogue until the Kristallnacht. The facsimile is printed on thick, quality chromo paper simulating the parchment on which the original manuscript was written. It contains the first section of the Mahzor with prayers and Piyyutim for special Sabbaths, Purim, Passover, Shavu'ot and Tisha BeAv. The facsimile is the same size as the original manuscript and placed in a magnificent leather binding with ancient-like metal buckles. Enclosed with the manuscript is the volume of Hebrew and English forewords edited by Aryeh Beit-Arié, in an elegant fabric binding and an additional binder with a matching binding with 2 illuminated leaves, facsimile from Volume II of the Mahzor, which are not included in this facsimile. To this binder were added 10 additional copies with the title ”Adon” appearing in the facsimile. Stains and minor blemishes. These three sections are placed in a fabric-covered wooden case, blemished on the outside. Good overall condition. General size of case: length – 47 cm; width – 35 cm; thickness – 16 cm; weight: 12.3kg! (Please note shipment costs) Numbered facsimile. This is copy 146 of 300 regular copies that were printed (and 20 special copies which are not for sale). Published by Cyelar Establishment in Vaduz (the capital of Lichtenstein), 1985 The Worms Mahzor and its significance The Worms Mahzor is a handwritten Ashkenazic rite Mahzor that was written in the last third of the 13th century and was used by the Worms community until World War II. The Mahzor contains two volumes that were written on parchment during the years 1272-1280 by two different scribes and together they contain the prayers and Piyyutim of all Jewish festivals and the specified Sabbaths. Its impressive scope, rich content and artistic format rendered it a significant document for historians studying contemporary Jewish communities. For generations, the manuscript was kept at the Worms Synagogue, used by the prayer-leader During the Kristallnacht in 1938, the synagogue was looted and the Mahzor was stolen. During the Holocaust, it was moved from place to place and eventually remained under the care of Dr. Friedrich Illert, head of the archive of Worms, who his it in the cathedral. After years of struggles by which varied parties attempted to get ahold of the important manuscript, an agreement was reached to move the manuscript to the National Library of Jerusalem; since March 14, 1957, it is kept in the library's collection In 1981, when the Mahzor was sent for restoration in the National Library of Austria, the antique-collector, Chaim Elazar Rabinovich, received permission to make a facsimile of the book and made 300 copies, which were sold to collectors and libraries around the world for $2800 each . Alongside the facsimile, a volume of scientific articles reviewing varied aspects of the Mahzor was also published.