Chamisha Chumshei Torah – Tikun Sofrim
Amsterdam, 1726
Six Artistic title pages on Parchment.
Magnificent set of Chamisha Chumshei Torah – Tikun Sofrim, Amsterdam, 1726
Chamisha Chumshei Torah with Haftarot – in six volumes, with six illustrated title pages, bound in its original Amsterdam leather bindings with golden engravings and gilded pages.
A rare and extremely important set in which all six title pages were printed on parchment.
Complete copy includes all the folded pages at the end of the sefer.
Each volume opens with a copper engraved illustrated title page, printed on parchment depicting scenes from the Torah, and figures of angels carrying the ‘Crown of Torah’.
These spectacular title pages are the work of the famous French artist Bernhard Picart (1673-1733), Bernard Picart was a famous engraver and illustrator whose art was widely acclaimed and his copperplate engravings are masterpieces of Jewish art. On the bottom corner of the title page is his printed signature and date(1725).
Most of the copies of this edition were bound in one volume with only one illustrated title page and another general title page, this special set is divided into six parts, with seven title pages (six illustrated title pages and another general title page, the title page of the Haftarot has different decorations than of the Chumashim).
This remarkable edition of Tikun Sofrim was printed in the famed Amsterdam style by dignitaries and philanthropists of Amsterdam’s Sephardic community. The drawings of Moshe, Shmuel and Dovid on the title page allude to the names of the distinguished individuals who contributed to publish this Chumash.
This is, undoubtedly, one of the most extraordinary editions of Tikkun Sofrim printed.
Amsterdam, 1726.
Page count:
Braisheis: [10], 81,
Shemos: [1]. 82-149.
Vayikra: [1], [150]-198.
Bamidbar: [1], [199]-267.
Devarim: [1], [268]-327. Haftaros: [1], [330]-446, [4] leaves. 16, [1], pages.
Last 16 pages are in Portuguese with a separate title page, of which pages [3-8] are folded pages of charts. (8 of the first 10 pages are bound in this sefer at the end of the haftorahs) Size: 16.5 cm. Good condition, Six volume set preserved in a matching case with a leather back.
[Provenance: Lunzer-Valmadonna Collection]
The Art of Bookbinding
18th century bookbinding was regarded as a form of art, and professional bookbinders of the era competed in the production of artistic creations. Bookbinding was considered a prestigious vocation, and successful bookbinders occupied a distinguished status in society. Often, young bookbinders apprenticed themselves to the veterans in order to acquire the range of skills required to flawlessly bind a book.
The elaborate bindings and book covers characteristic of this era expressed the honor that the public assigned to the written word, and it became a trend for wealthy or influential figures of a high socioeconomic standing to custom-order special bindings for their books which sometimes cost double that of the actual book itself!
Master bookbinders manufactured ornate bindings and jackets from a range of superior materials such as high quality leather, leather-bound wooden matrixes, and fine parchments. Many of the bindings were engraved or embossed with elaborate decorations, and the edges of the book were sometimes hand-painted gold by an artist.
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