megillat Esther

Original manuscript on vellum, text arranged in 15 lines, in Hebrew Sephardic Script. A red bead decorating the top of the case.

The Book of Esther is part of the Ketuvim (The Writings), the third section of the Hebrew Bible. It tells the story of a Jewish girl named Esther who became queen of Persia and thwarted a plan by Haman to commit genocide against her people. Also called The Megillah, the book is the basis and an integral part of the Jewish celebration of Purim. Its full text is read aloud twice during the celebration, in the evening and again the following morning. Besides Song of Songs, it is the only book in the Bible that does not explicitly mention God.

'Since the Talmudic period it has been customary to write the Book of Esther on parchment in the form of a scroll, and the rules governing its production and writing are basically the same as those for a traditional Torah scroll. It is not known when and under what circumstances artistic embellishment of Esther scrolls began. The earliest extant illuminated examples emanate from 16th-century Italy,
commissioned by well-to-do Italian Jews' (Encyclopaedia Judaica).

Scroll on parchment, housed in a silver gilt case (unstamped); scroll height 7 cm., case height 19 cm.