Kittsee Haggadah

Chaim ben Asher Anshel of Kittsee was the son of a rabbi and worked as a teacher, illuminator, and scribe, and as such he probably also produced Torah scrolls, mezuzot, and tefillin
His artistic Haggadah from 1770 is one of the highlights of the heyday of Jewish book art in the 18th century
He adorned it with a magnificent title page, 16 beautiful gouache miniatures, and 6 illuminated initial word panels

Kittsee Haggadah

Description

Kittsee Haggadah

The famous Kittsee Haggadah from 1770 is one of the most beautiful surviving examples of the remarkable flourishing of traditional book art in Jewish circles in the 18th century. This fascinating Renaissance of manuscript art spread from Vienna throughout Central and Western Europe, producing some of the finest examples of Jewish book illumination and calligraphy – including the Kittsee Haggadah. It was created in Kittsee by the son of a rabbi, Chaim ben Asher Anshel, who was also a teacher and Torah scribe. He created what is probably his most beautiful Haggadah on parchment, on which he wrote the main text in calligraphically perfect Ashkenazi square script with niqqud (punctuation), accompanied by semi-cursive Yiddish instructions for the Seder. The gold-decorated illumination is unusually extensive and begins with a magnificent title page depicting Aaron and Moses, among others. In addition, there are 16 beautifully colored miniatures, iconographically based on the pioneering Amsterdam Haggadot of 1595 and 1712, and six ornate initial word panels.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: The Kittsee Haggadah 1770
Hagadat Kịtseʻ 530
Haggadah Shel Pesah
Passover Haggadah
Type: Manuscript on parchment
Size / Format: 46 pages / 38.6 × 19.7 cm
Origin: Austria
Date: 1770
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Hebrew
Genre: Judaism / Hebrew
Language: Hebrew
Script: Ashkenazic square script with niqqud Semi-cursive Yiddish script
Illustrations: 1 splendid title page, 16 miniatures, 6 illuminated initial word panels
Content: Bible texts, religious poems, songs and ritual regulations for the Passover
Artist / School: Chaim ben Asher Anshel of Kittsee
Previous Owners: Yaakov Bezalel Turzavke
Raizel (Ehefrau von Yaakov Bezalel Turzavke)
Freidl (Ehefrau (?) von Yaakov Bezalel Turzavke)
Moshe Aryeh David Lowy
Alexander Lowy
Moritz Lowy
Dr. D. Marcell Hoffmann
Erich Hoffmann
Dr. Meir Ayali

Available facsimile editions:

Facsimile Editions

#1 The Kittsee Haggadah 1770

Massada Publishers – Israel, 1987

Publisher: Massada Publishers – Israel, 1987

Limited Edition: -

Binding: Hardcover with decorative gold tooling. The facsimile and commentary come in a correspondingly designed slipcase.

Commentary: 1 volume (12 pp.)
Language: English, Hebrew

With a preface by Dr. Meir Ayali

1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding. This edition comes with gilded edges and includes two additional maps: the map of the Duke of Wellington and the map of Du Craan.

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Kittsee Haggadah