Golden Haggadah
The manuscript has outer decorations of blind-tooled fan-shaped motifs pressed into the leather cover with a heated brass tool on the front and back.
These are fourteen full pages of miniatures, a decorated Haggadah text, and a selection of 100 Passover piyyutim liturgical poems.
[3] The first section of miniatures portray the events of the Biblical books of Genesis and Exodus, ranging from Adam naming the animals and concluding with the song of Miriam.
While originating in Spain, it is believed that the manuscript found its way to Italy in possession of Jews banished from the country in 1492.
[2] While there is no evidence of different workshops producing the manuscript, there are two distinct artistic styles used respectively in groupings of eight folios on single sides of the pages.
The first noticeable style is an artist who created somewhat standardized faces for their figures, but was graceful in their work and balanced with their color.
The prevailing theory is that the first known owner was Rabbi Joav Gallico of Asti, who presented it as a gift to his daughter Rosa's bridegroom, Eliah Ravà, on the occasion of their wedding in 1602.
[2][5] The commemorative text inscribed in the title page translates from the Hebrew as: “NTNV as a gift [...] the honored Mistress Rosa, (May she be blessed among the women of the tent), daughter of our illustrious Honored Teacher Rabbi Yoav Gallico, (may his Rock preserve him) to his son-in-law, the learned Honored Teacher Elia (may his Rock preserve him) Son of the safe, our Honored Teacher, the Rabbi R. Menahem Ravà (May he live Many good years) On the day of his wedding and the day of the rejoicing of his heart, Here at Carpi, the tenth of the month of Heshvan, Heh Shin Samekh Gimel (1602)”[5] The translation of this inscription has led to debate on who originally gave the manuscript, either the bride Rosa or her father Rabbi Joav.
.Elia.” This translation works to ignore the reference to the bride and states that Rabbi Joav presented the manuscript to his new son-in-law.
The problem with this reading is the strange wording used to describe Rabbi Joav's relationship to Elia and his grammatical placement after Rosa's name as an afterthought.
In addition, Elia is referred to as the son-in-law of her father, rather than merely her groom, which makes little sense if Rabbi Joav was not involved in some form.
[5] Additional changes to the manuscript that can be dated include a mnemonic poem of the laws and customs of Passover on blank pages between miniatures added in the seventeenth century, a birth entry of a son in Italy 1689, and the signatures of censors for the years 1599, 1613, and 1629.
They are painted onto the flesh side of the vellum and divided into panels of four frames read in the same direction as the Hebrew language, from right to left and from top to bottom.
This can be seen in the Dance of Marian where blue lines frame the illustration with red edges and white arabesque decorating inside them.
The most common traits of a Haggadah are the inclusion of an introduction on how to set the table for a seder, an opening mnemonic device for remembering the order of the service, and content based on the Hallel Psalms and three Pedagogic Principles.
The manuscripts would have figurative representations of stories and steps to take during service combined with traditional ornamental workings of the highest quality at the time.
