Order of Prayers. Amsterdam, 1715.
A rare and unique copy printed entirely in red ink.
Miniature prayer book, an exceptionally rare and luxurious edition, entirely printed in red ink by the renowned Amsterdam printing press.
From this edition of the order of prayers, a limited number of copies were printed in red ink. This special printing was intended for distinguished and high-ranking individuals in the wealthy Sephardic community of Amsterdam, such as the community leaders and patrons known for their love of elegant books.
The phenomenon of red ink in book printing is well-known, often used for title pages or parts of them. However, a book printed entirely in red ink from beginning to end is an exceptionally rare occurrence.
The Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam was renowned across the world for its high-quality and beautiful productions during the 18th century. The Proppes family, who operated during this time, brought the press to the height of its artistic and luxurious creations. The Chacham Tzvi testified in his introduction (Amsterdam, 1712) that there was no press like it in the land. This bibliophilic copy is undoubtedly one of the finest creations of the Amsterdam press in the 18th century.
The siddur includes the order of prayers for holidays and fasts, as well as the Pesach Haggadah, with instructions and laws in Portuguese written in Hebrew characters.
At the end, there is a ten-year calendar (1715–1724) in Portuguese with a separate title page: "Calendario Espanol De Ros-Hodes, Fiesta y Ayunos… 1715…" This calendar was also printed in red ink. The calendar is extremely rare and is not included in the collection of the National Library in Jerusalem (the copy in the National Library is printed in regular black ink).
Contents of the machzor:
- Tikkun Pesach with the Haggadah shel Pesach
- Tikkun Tal
- Amidah prayer for the three festivals
- Sefiras Ha’omer
- Mizmorim for the nights of Shavuot and Sukkos
- Order of Hoshanos
- Tikkun Geshem
- Selichos for the fasts of Gedaliah, the Tenth of Tevet, the Fast of Esther, and the Seventeenth of Tammuz.
Amsterdam, 1715 [5475], printed by Shlomo Proppes.
Page count: [14] leaves.
Size: 10.8 cm.
Condition: Good, with some light stains on the calendar’s title page and minor restoration.
Bound in a luxurious red-and-gold leather binding with a matching decorative box for preservation.
