Esther Scroll (18) (IX.3 – scroll, and VI.1(B) - benediction sheet)
Late 17th century
Hand-drawn border Ink on parchment, 6 membranes, 27 text columns, 16-19 lines per column + benediction sheet 215 × ca. 3195 mm (8.5 × ca. 125.8 in.) + 210 × 265 mm (8.3 × 104.3 in.) Wooden roller, ca. 405 mm (ca. 15.9 in.)
This scroll was decorated by hand, the imagery delicately drawn in ink. The opening panel of the scroll contains a blank cartouche surmounted with a fleur-de-lis and supported by two lions. The text is enframed within arcades decorated with floral ornamentation and the upper margin contains lunettes with a series of lively animals (hounds, lions, peacocks, birds, butterflies, as well as several scenes with unusual imagery based on medieval legends and texts from the Talmud.
In addition to these scenes, the scroll is ornamented with figures (a couple dancing, a person playing a violin), angels and floral decoration. The lower margin contains a narrow band that is filled with cross-hatching, a technique which is also employed in other parts of this scroll.
A separate benediction sheet is drawn in ink and decorated in the same style as the scroll. The text is written within a double arcade and the pillars and lunettes are filled with floral imagery.