Catalogue of Thirty-Eight Highly Important Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts from the Collection Formed by the Late David Solomon Sassoon [ Sotheby & Co.A.G., auction catalogue, sale date: 5 November, 1975]

Sotheby & Co., Zurich, auction catalogue for the sale held on 5th November, 1975. Printed wrappers, small 4to,. [xviii], 128, [4] pp, many plates. 38 lots. The 38 extremely distinguished MSS included : the Damascus Pentateuch, a Spanish Pentateuch XXXlagiographa and Haftoroth 1468; a Samaritan BilXXX perhaps the oldest known text outside Nablus; an autograph manuscript of Maimonides, the greatest Jewish philosoper and codifier of the Middle Ages, as well as two highly important 14th century MSS. Of his famous code ‘Mishne Torah', one Spanish and one German, containing many variants from printed editions, also his chief philosophic work 'The Guide to the Perplexed', with the arms of the King of Leon and Castille, the only known Hebrew manuscript written and illuminated for royalty. Also included are two tenth century manuscripts from Palestine, an important fragment of the Mishnah with vowel accents (lot 21), and stories from the Talmud, with Judaeo-Arabic translation, one of the very few surviving texts of this branch of literature. Philosophy, science and poetry are represented by four outstanding MSS.: Aristotle's Physics according to Averroes (Ibn Roshd), Italian 14th century; Ptolemy's Almagest, and Jacob ben David ben Yomtov Poel's Astronomical Tables, both Spanish and illustrated. Last in this section is the only known text of Moses ibn Ezra's Judaeo-Arabic work on philosophy and poetry, 12th century. The German, French and Italian schools of Halakha are represented by the outstanding works of Mordecai ben Hillel, late 13th century; Simcha of Vitry, French 12th century; Isaiah of Trani the Elder and Zidkiahu ben Benjamin, both Italian 13th century. Two midrashim are included: the oldest known text of Midrash Tanchuma, oriental 11th century, [showing] variants from the published editions; and the unpublished Yemenite midrash Ha'hefetz 1500. To this group belong the only known MSS. Of the commentary on the Torah by the school of Rashi, and the anonymous Spanish commentary on Proverbs, both fifteenth century. Kabbalah is represented by two highly important anonymous texts, unpublished, to whose great significance Professor Schokm drew attention in 1932. The illustrated manuscripts are a real feast for art historians and connoisseurs. Apart from the already mentioned Bible 1468, Maimonides' Guide, The Astroromical Tables and Ptolemy, there are three exceptional Passover Haggadoth: one very famous Spanish 14th century, one Moravian 1728, and the only known illustrated Haggadah from India, 1868; an outstanding Italian Renaissance Machzor of 1480; a miniature Spanish daily prayer book 15th century; a Viennese Prayer Book 1727, and an engraved megillah by Salom Italia, the only distinguished Jewish artist of the 17th century (lot 10). Finally, we should mention for poetry, the large Machzor Rome, 15th century, which contains many unpublished ‘piutim', and the unique copy of the Statutes of the Communities of Crete and Corfu, Greek, end of the sixteenth century . - from the introduction. List of prices realized and buyers' names stapled to verso of final text leaf, otherwise Very Good.