Bidspirit auction | Mashal HaKadmoni, with 79 Splendid

Mashal HaKadmoni, with 79 Splendid Woodcut Illustrations Frankfurt an der Oder, 1800 * An early mussar sefer from the times of the Rishonim, written in the form of instructive parables composed in rhymes, accompanied by songs and illustrations, authored by the Sephardic sage Rabbi Yitzchak ibn Sahula. Throughout the sefer there are 79 beautiful woodcuts with charming scenes that vividly convey the meaning of the parables. Mashal HaKadmoni is the very first Hebrew book printed with illustrations, and it was already printed twice in Italy during the incunabula period. (See Stefansky, Incunabula pp. 385–386). The illustrations were originally made by the author himself, as he writes in his introduction: “And I saw fit to depict forms therein, to understand and to teach…” The images include kings and their advisors, sages and astrologers, wanderers and shepherds, as well as illustrations of animals, birds, fish, and more. Printed at the beginning of the sefer is Aristotle’s Sefer HaTapuach, comprising just three leaves, discussing the immortality of the soul, translated by Rabbi Avraham Halevi ben Chasdai. Rabbi Yitzchak ibn Sahula, philosopher and kabbalist, lived in Castile, Spain. Born in 1244, he composed this sefer in 1281. In his introduction, the author clarifies that his sources are all from Torah sources, either from the words of the prophets or from Torah sages throughout the generations and that he did not quote parables from any other sources. The sefer Mashal HaKadmoni was very popular and was widely disseminated. Frankfurt an der Oder, 1800. Page Count: 100 leaves (erroneous page count). Size: 16.5 cm. Condition: Margins restored on the title page and two final leaves (with photo-facsimile restoration for border design). Some paper repairs and stains. A few small tears. New binding.