Tel Aviv and London (Israel and England), Private collection
About the Ilan
TextGrid URI of the Editiontextgrid:3vsh0
FamiliesMagnificent Parchment (Classical) ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot in this Family
Surfaces of the Ilan
Recto
About the Manuscript
Identifiers and Titles
IdentifierTel Aviv-London, Private Collection
Primary Manuscript TitlesThe Magnificent Parchment
Alternative Manuscript TitlesTel Aviv-London, Private Collection
Manuscript History
Origin
Date Information16th century
Creation PlacesItalian Republic (Italy)
Physical Description
MaterialPaper ๐Refers generally to all types of thin matted or felted sheets or webs of fiber formed and dried on a fine screen from a pulpy water suspension. The fibers may be animal, such as hair, silk or wool, or mineral, such as asbestos, or synthetic. However most paper is made from cellulosic plant fiber, such as from wood pulp, grass, cotton, linen, and straw. ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot with this Material
FormRotulus ๐A roll of parchment or paper unrolled vertically for reading. ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot with this Form
Sheets per Surface6 leaves
Dimensions Description276 ร 71
Content Description
SummaryThis manuscript, now in an anonymous private collection, is an early and well-preserved paper copy of the family of ilanot known as "The Magnificent Parchment." The copyist was evidently a scholar who avoided a mechanical reproduction of his source, instead optimizing text placement and providing reading cues for fragmented passages. Furthermore, he chose to censor certain elements, including the images of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues that appear in other luxury witnesses of this family. Despite the use of simple materials, the quality of craftsmanship in this ilan is exceptional.
Further Information
Research LiteratureJ. H. Chajes, The Kabbalistic Tree (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2022), 64โ65, 210โ211, 375.
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