Judaica
See also : Manuscript Books Incunabula Books 1501-1700 Religious texts Antique coins Ancient England
Chronology : 1480-1499 1520-1539
Chronology : 1480-1499 1520-1539
66 The Shekels of Year One
2012 SOLD 1.1 M$ including premium
The events started quickly, 3826 years after the creation of the world according to the Jewish calendar, corresponding to the year 66 (retroactively) of our current calendar.
For about one hundred and thirty years, the Romans occupied Judea. By negligence, or more likely by provocation, the Greeks made some sacrifices of animals in front of the synagogues. The Romans let them do it, exacerbating the tensions between communities.
The Jewish revolt was massive. The Zealots seized the Temple of Jerusalem, with a revolutionary enthusiasm similar to the storming of the Bastille 1723 years later. The Jews believed having won their independence again, and used the silver reserves of the Temple to create a mint.
Dated Year 1 of Israel, two coins are for sale on March 8 by Heritage in New York. They are illustrated in chalices and pomegranates, with inscriptions in ancient Hebrew. The bigger, worth 1 shekel, is measuring 24 mm in diameter. The other, a quarter of a shekel, 16 mm.
These coins are of the utmost rarity. For each of the two, only one other example is known. They are poorly centered, as many antique coins, which reflects here an undeniable rush mixed with improvisation. They were possibly a first prototype pattern that was never circulated.
The revolution did not last long. Aware of the risk, Nero sent one of his ablest generals, the future emperor Vespasian. The war lasted four years and was atrocious.
The coin of 1 shekel is estimated $ 950K. Here is the link to the catalog. The quarter shekel is estimated $ 850K. It is indeed also exceptional for its monetary value: for reasons of productivity, very few coins of a quarter of a shekel will be produced throughout the duration of the revolution. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The results are in line with the estimates : $ 1.1M including premium for the shekel, 900 K including premium for the quarter shekel.
For about one hundred and thirty years, the Romans occupied Judea. By negligence, or more likely by provocation, the Greeks made some sacrifices of animals in front of the synagogues. The Romans let them do it, exacerbating the tensions between communities.
The Jewish revolt was massive. The Zealots seized the Temple of Jerusalem, with a revolutionary enthusiasm similar to the storming of the Bastille 1723 years later. The Jews believed having won their independence again, and used the silver reserves of the Temple to create a mint.
Dated Year 1 of Israel, two coins are for sale on March 8 by Heritage in New York. They are illustrated in chalices and pomegranates, with inscriptions in ancient Hebrew. The bigger, worth 1 shekel, is measuring 24 mm in diameter. The other, a quarter of a shekel, 16 mm.
These coins are of the utmost rarity. For each of the two, only one other example is known. They are poorly centered, as many antique coins, which reflects here an undeniable rush mixed with improvisation. They were possibly a first prototype pattern that was never circulated.
The revolution did not last long. Aware of the risk, Nero sent one of his ablest generals, the future emperor Vespasian. The war lasted four years and was atrocious.
The coin of 1 shekel is estimated $ 950K. Here is the link to the catalog. The quarter shekel is estimated $ 850K. It is indeed also exceptional for its monetary value: for reasons of productivity, very few coins of a quarter of a shekel will be produced throughout the duration of the revolution. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The results are in line with the estimates : $ 1.1M including premium for the shekel, 900 K including premium for the quarter shekel.
1189 The Five Books of Moses
2015 SOLD for $ 3.6M including premium
The Pentateuch or Torah consists of the five books of the Law attributed to Moses. They are the basic texts of the Hebrew Bible.
The first sale of the Valmadonna Trust Library by Sotheby's in New York on December 22 includes three European manuscripts among the oldest that survived the persecutions. They have the usual original textual additions : the major commentaries or Masorah magna in the header and footer and the minor commentaries or Masorah parva in the intervals between the columns.
One of them is dated exactly of 15 Tammuz 4949, corresponding to July 2, 1189 of our calendar. This manuscript of 482 pages 28 x 31 cm is made of the Pentateuch, the Haftarot (books of the Prophets) and the Five Songs. Scholars locate it in England through paleographic considerations and by the presence of Anglo-Norman words in some marginal notes.
1189 was a terrible year for the English Jews who were victims of riots at the coronation of Richard I. Their manuscripts were considered as a wealth and were looted. Very few Jewish belongings escaped this event followed a century later by the expulsion of the Jews from England. This highly rare medieval English Pentateuch in beautiful condition is estimated $ 2M, lot 7.
In the manuscript at lot 6, estimated $ 1.5M, the Pentateuch and Haftarot with both types of Masorah are accompanied by the Targum which is the Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch. Undated, it may be contemporary to the English manuscript discussed above. Its writing is Ashkenazic and a Franco-German origin is assumed.
Lot 5, estimated $ 1M, is considered as the oldest manuscript from the Valmadonna Trust Library although it does not anticipate the other two by more than a few decades. This manuscript in Sephardic writing was done in Spain. It is limited to the Pentateuch and its two Masorah.
RESULTS
Lot 7 (English, 1189) SOLD for $ 3.6M including premium
Lots 5 and 6 unsold
The first sale of the Valmadonna Trust Library by Sotheby's in New York on December 22 includes three European manuscripts among the oldest that survived the persecutions. They have the usual original textual additions : the major commentaries or Masorah magna in the header and footer and the minor commentaries or Masorah parva in the intervals between the columns.
One of them is dated exactly of 15 Tammuz 4949, corresponding to July 2, 1189 of our calendar. This manuscript of 482 pages 28 x 31 cm is made of the Pentateuch, the Haftarot (books of the Prophets) and the Five Songs. Scholars locate it in England through paleographic considerations and by the presence of Anglo-Norman words in some marginal notes.
1189 was a terrible year for the English Jews who were victims of riots at the coronation of Richard I. Their manuscripts were considered as a wealth and were looted. Very few Jewish belongings escaped this event followed a century later by the expulsion of the Jews from England. This highly rare medieval English Pentateuch in beautiful condition is estimated $ 2M, lot 7.
In the manuscript at lot 6, estimated $ 1.5M, the Pentateuch and Haftarot with both types of Masorah are accompanied by the Targum which is the Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch. Undated, it may be contemporary to the English manuscript discussed above. Its writing is Ashkenazic and a Franco-German origin is assumed.
Lot 5, estimated $ 1M, is considered as the oldest manuscript from the Valmadonna Trust Library although it does not anticipate the other two by more than a few decades. This manuscript in Sephardic writing was done in Spain. It is limited to the Pentateuch and its two Masorah.
RESULTS
Lot 7 (English, 1189) SOLD for $ 3.6M including premium
Lots 5 and 6 unsold
That last just sold for $3 million pic.twitter.com/ZDAe1qPhit
— Mitch Fraas (@MitchFraas) December 22, 20151270 Inspection of a Sefer Torah
2015 SOLD for $ 310K including premium
The study of the most valuable ancient manuscripts takes advantage of the up-to-date techniques of scientific inspection, like for old painting. The Sefer Torah for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 22 has become unquestionably one of the oldest Ashkenazi Torahs in a complete state, with an exception described below. It is estimated $ 300K, lot 1.
This piece made during the thirteenth century of our calendar has deserved such a detailed analysis. At that time, the book or codex composed of an assembly of leaves already supersedes the scroll or sefer for the regular distribution of the Bible. The preparation and writing of a Sefer Torah however meet a strict ritual that is irreplaceable for its formal recitation by the rabbi because it refers to the understanding by the Jews of their original liturgical traditions.
The Torah for sale, 58 cm x 48 m, consists of 86 parchment membranes sewn edge to edge with a total of 257 columns. Four central membranes were replaced less than 400 years ago. The remaining edges of the adjacent membranes show a damage by an unidentified liquid, certainly an ancient act of anti-Jewish vandalism at a time when the document was in an open position.
Radiocarbon dating is applicable to such objects. The result indicates a writing around 1270 of our calendar. This date is fully consistent with the previous paleographic analyzes that had been carried out by comparison with dated Ashkenazi codices.
The multispectral imaging provides in this case an even greater progress. Beyond the perfection sought in its original execution, the scribes of the following centuries desired to modify the shape of the letters and some arrangements in the text to put the Torah in the norm of their time or for Kabbalistic reasons. The modern science separates the first writing and the additions and observes the traces of erasures, offering an appreciation of the successive states of the manuscript.
This piece made during the thirteenth century of our calendar has deserved such a detailed analysis. At that time, the book or codex composed of an assembly of leaves already supersedes the scroll or sefer for the regular distribution of the Bible. The preparation and writing of a Sefer Torah however meet a strict ritual that is irreplaceable for its formal recitation by the rabbi because it refers to the understanding by the Jews of their original liturgical traditions.
The Torah for sale, 58 cm x 48 m, consists of 86 parchment membranes sewn edge to edge with a total of 257 columns. Four central membranes were replaced less than 400 years ago. The remaining edges of the adjacent membranes show a damage by an unidentified liquid, certainly an ancient act of anti-Jewish vandalism at a time when the document was in an open position.
Radiocarbon dating is applicable to such objects. The result indicates a writing around 1270 of our calendar. This date is fully consistent with the previous paleographic analyzes that had been carried out by comparison with dated Ashkenazi codices.
The multispectral imaging provides in this case an even greater progress. Beyond the perfection sought in its original execution, the scribes of the following centuries desired to modify the shape of the letters and some arrangements in the text to put the Torah in the norm of their time or for Kabbalistic reasons. The modern science separates the first writing and the additions and observes the traces of erasures, offering an appreciation of the successive states of the manuscript.
Later 13th century - As Moses wanted it
2009 SOLD 400 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
There are two techniques to assemble the pages for editing a text on a flexible support. The only one that is common today is the paper book, where sheets are bound by one of their sides.
The practice of scroll is older, on papyrus or parchment. The Jews use it for three millennia to teach the Torah, meaning the word of Moses. A copy of this text is a Kabbalistic pretext for a search of perfection, and Maimonides, who was one of the most important philosophers of all times, contributed to the codification of the details of this rite. The preparation of a Torah scroll (Sefer Torah) took over a year, and its completion was the subject of a great festival for its presentation to the synagogue.
On November 24 in New York, Sotheby's will sell an early Sefer Torah of northern Spain, typical of the calligraphy in use at the time of Shem-Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon, a follower and commentator of Maimonides who lived in the late thirteenth century of our calendar.
The book is complete, written in black ink on gevil, a preparation providing a brown color to the parchment. The scroll of 58cm high is including 48 pages for a total of 221 columns by 47 lines each and a length of 36.65 m. Let's be clear: the wikipedia says that a valid Sefer Torah must include 304805 letters (no less, no more).
This exceptional copy is estimated $ 300K.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold 400 K$ including premium. That's good. This scroll is exceptional for its age, its care for rules and traditions, its condition, and its witnessing from very long time ago, before the Jews were expelled from Spain.
There are two techniques to assemble the pages for editing a text on a flexible support. The only one that is common today is the paper book, where sheets are bound by one of their sides.
The practice of scroll is older, on papyrus or parchment. The Jews use it for three millennia to teach the Torah, meaning the word of Moses. A copy of this text is a Kabbalistic pretext for a search of perfection, and Maimonides, who was one of the most important philosophers of all times, contributed to the codification of the details of this rite. The preparation of a Torah scroll (Sefer Torah) took over a year, and its completion was the subject of a great festival for its presentation to the synagogue.
On November 24 in New York, Sotheby's will sell an early Sefer Torah of northern Spain, typical of the calligraphy in use at the time of Shem-Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon, a follower and commentator of Maimonides who lived in the late thirteenth century of our calendar.
The book is complete, written in black ink on gevil, a preparation providing a brown color to the parchment. The scroll of 58cm high is including 48 pages for a total of 221 columns by 47 lines each and a length of 36.65 m. Let's be clear: the wikipedia says that a valid Sefer Torah must include 304805 letters (no less, no more).
This exceptional copy is estimated $ 300K.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold 400 K$ including premium. That's good. This scroll is exceptional for its age, its care for rules and traditions, its condition, and its witnessing from very long time ago, before the Jews were expelled from Spain.
1482 The Torah of the Quattrocento
2014 SOLD 2.8 M€ including premium
The Torah is a holy text whose writing on scroll must follow a meticulous rite. The invention of printing did however encourage the publication of Jewish books.
The Mishneh Torah is not for ritual use. This is a repetition of the Torah. One of them handwritten in Italy around 1460 in a book format was discussed in this column one year ago. Beautifully illuminated, it was made at a time when printing in Hebrew characters was not yet developed.
This prestigious book whose other volume is kept by the Vatican Library was withdrawn just before the auction to be sold jointly to the Israel Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jews quickly feel the need of the printed book to share their learning. It is not a coincidence that their earliest printed book is not a Torah but a comment by Rashi. It was edited in Reggio di Calabria in 1475.
The most important Jewish book printed at that time is also not ritual. Made in Bologna in 1482, it was the first one to gather the five books of the Pentateuch, on 438 pages. The center of the page displays the sacred text which is surrounded by Rashi's comments. This book also includes some Hebrew words illuminated in gold on a dark blue background.
A copy on vellum is estimated € 1M for sale by Christie's in Paris on April 30. Here is the link to the Bloomberg story releasing this information.
POST SALE COMMENT
There was no doubt that this book is exceptional. It was sold for € 2.8M including premium.
The Mishneh Torah is not for ritual use. This is a repetition of the Torah. One of them handwritten in Italy around 1460 in a book format was discussed in this column one year ago. Beautifully illuminated, it was made at a time when printing in Hebrew characters was not yet developed.
This prestigious book whose other volume is kept by the Vatican Library was withdrawn just before the auction to be sold jointly to the Israel Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jews quickly feel the need of the printed book to share their learning. It is not a coincidence that their earliest printed book is not a Torah but a comment by Rashi. It was edited in Reggio di Calabria in 1475.
The most important Jewish book printed at that time is also not ritual. Made in Bologna in 1482, it was the first one to gather the five books of the Pentateuch, on 438 pages. The center of the page displays the sacred text which is surrounded by Rashi's comments. This book also includes some Hebrew words illuminated in gold on a dark blue background.
A copy on vellum is estimated € 1M for sale by Christie's in Paris on April 30. Here is the link to the Bloomberg story releasing this information.
POST SALE COMMENT
There was no doubt that this book is exceptional. It was sold for € 2.8M including premium.
Past sales: an exceptional #Torah - the 1st appearance in print of the complete #Pentateuch: http://t.co/C70yK5GeDu pic.twitter.com/DgvyQ7d1Iq
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) March 28, 20151490 The Jewish Hours of Florence
2012 SOLD 1.85 M€ including premium
On May 11 in Paris, Christie's sells a manuscript book of extreme rarity: an illuminated Mahzor made in Florence around 1490. History explains why this object could not exist at another time.
The Mahzor has all the characteristics of an illuminated book of hours, except that it deals with the Jewish liturgy and is written in Hebrew. Style comparisons show that the specimen for sale was made by a workshop specializing in Christian manuscripts.
This little book of 442 leaves 168 x 125mm is estimated € 400K. Here is the link to the catalog.
On one side, the printed incunabula already dominate the whole culture of the Renaissance. The workshops of the illuminators are beginning to be outdated. On the other hand, the movable type prints use Latin and Greek letters, and printed books in Hebrew are still a novelty.
The catalog states that "it is unsurprising that Jewish patrons called upon the services of artists who worked for the Medici". I would also say that it is not surprising that the Tuscan illuminators have solicited Jewish customers.
In Florence, Lorenzo de 'Medici was ending his "magnificent" reign. The great patron of arts and letters was also interested in Jews and protected them. Everything was to change from 1494 with the theocracy of Savonarola.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result rewards the quality and the extreme rarity of this manuscript: € 1.85 million including premium.
The Mahzor has all the characteristics of an illuminated book of hours, except that it deals with the Jewish liturgy and is written in Hebrew. Style comparisons show that the specimen for sale was made by a workshop specializing in Christian manuscripts.
This little book of 442 leaves 168 x 125mm is estimated € 400K. Here is the link to the catalog.
On one side, the printed incunabula already dominate the whole culture of the Renaissance. The workshops of the illuminators are beginning to be outdated. On the other hand, the movable type prints use Latin and Greek letters, and printed books in Hebrew are still a novelty.
The catalog states that "it is unsurprising that Jewish patrons called upon the services of artists who worked for the Medici". I would also say that it is not surprising that the Tuscan illuminators have solicited Jewish customers.
In Florence, Lorenzo de 'Medici was ending his "magnificent" reign. The great patron of arts and letters was also interested in Jews and protected them. Everything was to change from 1494 with the theocracy of Savonarola.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result rewards the quality and the extreme rarity of this manuscript: € 1.85 million including premium.
1520-1539 The Princeps Edition of the Talmud
2015 SOLD for $ 9.3M including premium
The Jews understood that the sacred texts require commentaries. These scholarly tractates constitute the Talmud. The two main collections are named the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. They started from the antique oral traditions.
The invention of printing was not immediately applied to Hebrew types. In Italy, some Christian illuminators were able to continue their business during the last decades of the fifteenth century by adapting their expertise to the copy of Hebrew books.
The first books printed in Hebrew also appeared in Italy. A Mishneh Torah printed in Bologna in 1482 was sold for € 2.8 million including premium by Christie's on April 30, 2014. The texts are cleverly arranged in blocks for an easy comparison within the page between the basic text and its commentaries. There is nothing similar in the Christian culture as far as I know.
Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer in Venice, obtained in 1515 the permission to print in Hebrew. His princeps editions of the Talmud are a major project carried out in three phases : the Babylonian Talmud from 1520 to 1523, the Talmud of Jerusalem in 1522 and 1523 and additional tractates from 1525 to 1539 that went to complete his Babylonian Talmud.
The result is an achievement. The composition continues the tradition of confrontational blocks with such skill that they will serve for centuries as a prototype for further printed editions of the Talmud. The rabbinical sources are carefully selected and considered as indisputable. The book is printed on a beautiful heavy paper.
Westminster Abbey once owned the finest surviving copy of the Babylonian Talmud of Bomberg, complete of its 3472 leaves of great freshness, in nine volumes 39 x 27 cm in a period binding. When he was assembling his Valmadonna Trust Library, the collector Jack Lunzer managed to acquire this set by providing in exchange a valuable old charter of the abbey.
The Bomberg Talmud of the Valmadonna Trust Library is estimated $ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 22, lot 12.
The Valmadonna collection was exhibited at Sotheby's in February 2009. The video below, which is an introduction to the 11000 pieces displayed in this exhibition, demonstrates convincingly why the Bomberg Talmud is the most important jewel in this stunning library.
The invention of printing was not immediately applied to Hebrew types. In Italy, some Christian illuminators were able to continue their business during the last decades of the fifteenth century by adapting their expertise to the copy of Hebrew books.
The first books printed in Hebrew also appeared in Italy. A Mishneh Torah printed in Bologna in 1482 was sold for € 2.8 million including premium by Christie's on April 30, 2014. The texts are cleverly arranged in blocks for an easy comparison within the page between the basic text and its commentaries. There is nothing similar in the Christian culture as far as I know.
Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer in Venice, obtained in 1515 the permission to print in Hebrew. His princeps editions of the Talmud are a major project carried out in three phases : the Babylonian Talmud from 1520 to 1523, the Talmud of Jerusalem in 1522 and 1523 and additional tractates from 1525 to 1539 that went to complete his Babylonian Talmud.
The result is an achievement. The composition continues the tradition of confrontational blocks with such skill that they will serve for centuries as a prototype for further printed editions of the Talmud. The rabbinical sources are carefully selected and considered as indisputable. The book is printed on a beautiful heavy paper.
Westminster Abbey once owned the finest surviving copy of the Babylonian Talmud of Bomberg, complete of its 3472 leaves of great freshness, in nine volumes 39 x 27 cm in a period binding. When he was assembling his Valmadonna Trust Library, the collector Jack Lunzer managed to acquire this set by providing in exchange a valuable old charter of the abbey.
The Bomberg Talmud of the Valmadonna Trust Library is estimated $ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 22, lot 12.
The Valmadonna collection was exhibited at Sotheby's in February 2009. The video below, which is an introduction to the 11000 pieces displayed in this exhibition, demonstrates convincingly why the Bomberg Talmud is the most important jewel in this stunning library.
1564 Estellina's Scroll
2009 SOLD 600 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The Book of Esther, which is one of the historical books of the Old Testament, tells how the devotion and courage of a young woman helped save the Jews threatened of massacre under the rule of the Persians. The context of the story is a court intrigue. This nice legend became a political symbol of the liberation of the Jewish people.
This book is read in the synagogue during the feast of Purim, which takes place just before spring. Women are invited to listen and to glorify Esther as a model of morality.
Depending on the time and according to interpretations of liturgists, they could do even more: a woman from Venice, named Estellina, signed the scroll of Esther for sale by Sotheby's on November 24 in New York.
The Hebrew text is framed by arches preciously illuminated in colors with caryatids, satyrs, human and animal faces, and fruits. The 24 columns extending horizontally are assembled as a roll mounted on a turned wood handle. This work 1.90 m long and 35 cm high is dated 3 Adar 5324, a few days before Purim.
The image of this very valuable and rare object, estimated 600 K$, is shared by AuctionPublicity.
I endeavour when I can to provide the dates in the calendar that was applicable when the work was created. For my first use of the Hebrew calendar, I'm willing to translate: February 15, 1564.
POST SALE COMMENT
This scroll is both an art object and an interesting and ancient witness of Jewish liturgy. It is rewarded with a good price, just below the estimate, at 600 K$ including premium. I remind that the estimates never include fees.
The Book of Esther, which is one of the historical books of the Old Testament, tells how the devotion and courage of a young woman helped save the Jews threatened of massacre under the rule of the Persians. The context of the story is a court intrigue. This nice legend became a political symbol of the liberation of the Jewish people.
This book is read in the synagogue during the feast of Purim, which takes place just before spring. Women are invited to listen and to glorify Esther as a model of morality.
Depending on the time and according to interpretations of liturgists, they could do even more: a woman from Venice, named Estellina, signed the scroll of Esther for sale by Sotheby's on November 24 in New York.
The Hebrew text is framed by arches preciously illuminated in colors with caryatids, satyrs, human and animal faces, and fruits. The 24 columns extending horizontally are assembled as a roll mounted on a turned wood handle. This work 1.90 m long and 35 cm high is dated 3 Adar 5324, a few days before Purim.
The image of this very valuable and rare object, estimated 600 K$, is shared by AuctionPublicity.
I endeavour when I can to provide the dates in the calendar that was applicable when the work was created. For my first use of the Hebrew calendar, I'm willing to translate: February 15, 1564.
POST SALE COMMENT
This scroll is both an art object and an interesting and ancient witness of Jewish liturgy. It is rewarded with a good price, just below the estimate, at 600 K$ including premium. I remind that the estimates never include fees.
1730 The Jewish Scribe of Vienna
2012 SOLD 960 K$ including premium
In the old days, calligraphy participated in the search for perfection. Some communities have sought to revive this tradition. On December 19 in New York, Sotheby's sells an illuminated manuscript made in 1730 for the Jewish community of Vienna.
This is a Haggadah, the liturgical text of the Passover. It consists of 32 folios 29 x 21 cm and a large 50 x 29 cm map showing the tribulations of the Exodus. The whole is superbly executed on vellum, with three colors of ink for the writing, brown ink and gouache for the illustrations, along with some colored miniatures.
The artist is a Moravian scribe named Aaron Wolff Herlingen, considered as the best of his generation. Using his job as a pseudonym, he is also known as Aaron Schreiber.
The set, stored in a case from the same time, remained in very fresh condition. The lot is estimated $ 800K. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional and atypical work was sold $ 960K including premium, within its range of estimates.
This is a Haggadah, the liturgical text of the Passover. It consists of 32 folios 29 x 21 cm and a large 50 x 29 cm map showing the tribulations of the Exodus. The whole is superbly executed on vellum, with three colors of ink for the writing, brown ink and gouache for the illustrations, along with some colored miniatures.
The artist is a Moravian scribe named Aaron Wolff Herlingen, considered as the best of his generation. Using his job as a pseudonym, he is also known as Aaron Schreiber.
The set, stored in a case from the same time, remained in very fresh condition. The lot is estimated $ 800K. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional and atypical work was sold $ 960K including premium, within its range of estimates.
1892-1901 The Odessa Skeleton
2013 SOLD 365 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Michael and Judy Steinhardt endeavoured to gather significant pieces of the Jewish religious culture. They especially selected works of exceptional quality, sometimes of breathtaking originality, without restrictions on the techniques.Their collection is completed. It will be dispersed on April 29 in New York by Sotheby's.
Israel Dov-Ber-Rouchomovsky was a goldsmith at Mozyr near Minsk, poor and self-educated. He demonstrated his skill in helping a colleague to make a miniature golden skeleton. His capability was so great that he attracted a forger who provided him with sketches to make the tiara of the Scythian king.
The real target of the forger was the Louvre, who acquired the tiara for France and exhibited it from 1896 to 1903.Rouchomovsky was shocked to learn that his work made in 1894 had become a prestigious antiquity. Invited to go to Paris, he was able to demonstrate that he was the maker.
Going a few years back. In 1892, he wanted to make another skeleton even more beautiful than the first one and now fully articulated, just for his fun like Cheval building his ideal palace. 9 cm high, this masterpiece completed in 1896 in Odessa is an assembly of 167 gold bones weighing 22 g overall.
He decided then to provide a coffin to his skeleton. He also spanned five years, from 1896 to 1901, to achieve this piece of silver padded with textile. The panels are completely covered with allegorical scenes on the themes of life and death in a carving of extreme delicacy.
Exhibited in Paris just after the revelation of the secret of the tiara, the skeleton and coffin stayed together. Sold as a single lot for 600,000 florins including premium at Christie's on November 24, 1998, this set is now estimated $ 150K. It is always difficult to assess in advance the true value of such an unusual object. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold $ 365K including premium, this candid and macabre lot exceeded its higher estimate.
Michael and Judy Steinhardt endeavoured to gather significant pieces of the Jewish religious culture. They especially selected works of exceptional quality, sometimes of breathtaking originality, without restrictions on the techniques.Their collection is completed. It will be dispersed on April 29 in New York by Sotheby's.
Israel Dov-Ber-Rouchomovsky was a goldsmith at Mozyr near Minsk, poor and self-educated. He demonstrated his skill in helping a colleague to make a miniature golden skeleton. His capability was so great that he attracted a forger who provided him with sketches to make the tiara of the Scythian king.
The real target of the forger was the Louvre, who acquired the tiara for France and exhibited it from 1896 to 1903.Rouchomovsky was shocked to learn that his work made in 1894 had become a prestigious antiquity. Invited to go to Paris, he was able to demonstrate that he was the maker.
Going a few years back. In 1892, he wanted to make another skeleton even more beautiful than the first one and now fully articulated, just for his fun like Cheval building his ideal palace. 9 cm high, this masterpiece completed in 1896 in Odessa is an assembly of 167 gold bones weighing 22 g overall.
He decided then to provide a coffin to his skeleton. He also spanned five years, from 1896 to 1901, to achieve this piece of silver padded with textile. The panels are completely covered with allegorical scenes on the themes of life and death in a carving of extreme delicacy.
Exhibited in Paris just after the revelation of the secret of the tiara, the skeleton and coffin stayed together. Sold as a single lot for 600,000 florins including premium at Christie's on November 24, 1998, this set is now estimated $ 150K. It is always difficult to assess in advance the true value of such an unusual object. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold $ 365K including premium, this candid and macabre lot exceeded its higher estimate.
