ROTHSCHILD MISCELLANY (Fine Facsimile Edition Of Illuminated 15th Century Manuscript) -

Facsimile Editions. New. Hardcover. Special Order. Please allow 2 to 4 weeks for delivery. ; New; The most lavish of all Hebrew manuscripts. 948 pages containing 70 religious and secular works including the Passover Haggadah and Siddur. 816 illuminated pages and miniatures illustrate in exquisite detail almost every custom of Jewish life. Executed in northern Italy in 1479. A strictly limited facsimile edition of 550 numbered copies. Size 21cm x 15.6cm x 10.2cm (8.25" x 6.125" x 4") approximately (page sizes vary slightly). 948 Pages, 474 folios numbered 0-473. 816 illuminated pages with raised burnished gold, flat gold, powdered gold, silver and brilliant delicate colours. 160gsm, uncoated, neutral pH paper. A paper mill in Italy took more than a year to make a paper that accurately reproduces the opacity, texture and thickness of the manuscript's vellum and has been widely acclaimed as the closest likeness to vellum ever achieved. The paper was developed exclusively for this facsimile. David Harris the renowned Israeli photographer, photographed the manuscript at the Israel museum in Jerusalem using large-format Ektachrome film in order to capture the finest details. In order to completely eliminate any curvature close to the spine the manuscript was disbound prior to photography so that it could be photographed flat. Specially manufactured glass which is both 'optically flat' and 'optically white' was used to hold the manuscript flat during photography. The printed page is, therefore, exactly the same size as the original. Offset lithography in up to twelve colours. The three different types of gold found in the manuscript have all been faithfully copied in the facsimile. The raised burnished gold of the original has been reproduced by applying the metal leaf to a specially built up area (replicating the original gesso) exactly where the leaf is raised in the original manuscript. Flat gold was reproduced by applying a metal leaf by hand. Gold powder was applied to all the illuminations that contain it in the original. Silver metal leaf was applied by hand wherever it appeared in the original. Wherever the silver had oxidised, a darker leaf and special varnish was used to accurately portray the oxidisation. The scribe's pricking holes on either side of each folio were reproduced for the first time ever in a facsimile. Once printed each page was cut to the exact size and shape of the original and then aged at the edges. No previously published facsimile has achieved this level of precision and accuracy. Fine morocco goatskin, blind-tooled on both covers and the spine. The book block is sewn over hand-made head and tail bands. Four oxidised sterling silver clasps are attached by leather thongs to silver catch plates which are themselves attached by tiny silver nails. 256 pages (46 in colour) printed on mould-made cold-pressed Magnani 160gsm paper. The commentary volume is bound in blind-tooled morocco goatskin and presented in a cloth covered slip-case to compliment the facsimile. The facsimile and commentary are individually housed in hand made slip-cases. The slip case for the facsimile has been specially constructed to accommodate the clasps. Each facsimile can be personally dedicated at no extra charge. Whether the facsimile is intended as a gift to an institution or a private individual, our calligrapher can inscribe a beautiful illuminated gift certificate with an appropriate inscription. Strictly limited to 500 numbered and 50 Ad Personam copies. Each volume. Discreetly numbered by hand on the inside back cover using minute steel dies, is accompanied by a numbered and signed certificate carrying the seal of the Israel Museum. On completion of the edition the printing plates were destroyed to protect the significant investment value of each facsimile. Price includes robust protective packaging, worldwide courier delivery and insurance. Courier service, usually by UPS. International overnight service usually available at no extra charge. If you would like to have your copy dedicated, please supply us with the ins .