Beschreibung:

SIDDUR (daily prayer-book according to the Ashkenazic rite). Prague: Gershom ben Solomon Hakohen, Meir ben David of Prague, Meir ben David Halevi Epstein and Hayyim ben David Shachor, Wednesday 20 Tevet [5]276 (= 26 December 1515). 4 o (205 x 155 mm). PRINTED ON VELLUM. Collational formula impossible to establish due to tight binding: a regular quire consists of four sheets, but deviations occur. CONTENTS: Fol. 1r: blank; fol. 1v-46v: Weekday morning prayer, text on 1v printed within elaborate printed woodcut border with floral and vase motifs, at bottom two winged putti holding a crowned shield with a Magen David; fol. 47r-52v: Sabbath evening prayer; fol. 52v-58r: Sabbath morning prayer; fol. 58r-59r: Taking out the Torah; fol. 59r-60r: Reading of the Haftarah ; fol. 60v-62v: Sabbath prayer after the reading of the Torah; fol. 62v-65r: Sabbath Musaf prayer; fol. 65r-71r: Sabbath Minchah prayer; fol. 71r-76r: Prayers for the outgoing Sabbath; fol. 76r-76v: Prayer on viewing the New Moon; fol. 76v-77r: Musaf prayer for the new month; fol. 77r-86v: Musaf prayer for Sabbath of the new month, prayers for the 9th of Av, Purim, Shalosh Regalim and Chol ha-Mo'ed ; fol. 87r-104r: Haggadah shel pesach , including the Piyyutim ' Az rov nissim hifle'ta ba-laylah ,' ' Va-amartem zevach pesach ' and ' Ki lo na'eh '; fol. 104r-128r: Sayings of the Fathers; fol. 128r-142r: New Year prayers; fol. 142r-154r: Prayers for the Day of Atonement; fol. 154v-170r: Hosha'anot and prayers for Simchat Torah ; fol. 170v-183v: Prayers for Passover; fol. 184r-188r: Shavu'ot prayers; fol. 188r-194r: Prayers for Sukkot ; fol. 194r-195v: Prayers for Simchat Torah ; fol. 195v, line 11-196r: colophon by Gershom ben Solomon Hakohen, the printer, Meir ben David, scribe of Tefillin, of Prague, the printer, Meir ben David Halevi Epstein, the printer, and Hayyim ben David Shachor, the printer; 196v: blank; fol. 197: blank; fol. 198r-226r: Shir ha-Yichud ; fol. 226v-228r: Shir ha-Kavod ; fol. 228v-229r: Yigdal Elokim Chay ; fol. 229v: blank. 229 leaves. No foliation, headlines, signatures or catchwords. Text measures 135 x 196 mm. Types: Ashkenazic square types in three different sizes, vocalized, with alef-lamed ligature, a separate grapheme for the tetragram, rafeh , and a space filling sign. Three shapes of lamed. Dilated dalet, he, resh and tet. Mem-height of the largest type, used for initial words, 9 mm., lamed 16 mm.; 20 lines of the text type 176 mm.; 20 lines of the smaller text type (for instructions etc.) 116 mm.; moreover a few VERY EARLY APPEARANCES of semi-cursive Ashkenazic rabbinic type, used for liturgical instructions on fols 7r, 12r, 13r, 48v, 59r, 65r, 80r and 88r, mem-height 2 mm. Woodcut page-border as described above. Printed on Ashkenazic vellum with equalized sides, only occasionally allowing for a distinction between hair and flesh sides. Ruled in plummet through fol. 196r, rubricated through fol. 89v, and RICHLY ILLUMINATED BY A CONTEMPORARY ARTIST. CONDITION: generally excellent. Thumbed and slightly soiled, especially in the first half of the book, some candle-wax stains, occasional light smudging or rubbing to illuminations, woodcut on first page cropped at head, later fore-margins of fols. 89-90 extended with modern parchment causing partial loss to a few letters, part of lower blank margin cut away on fol. 229 without loss of text, a few small natural holes, blank fol. 1r with library stamp of Jews' College, London. BINDING: Modern blue morocco, covers and spine panelled in blind with gold-tooled fleurons, matching morocco-edged slipcase, two modern paper flyleaves at front and back, gilt edges with old gauffering (cropped before the gauffering, with minor loss of illumination and manuscript commentary, not affecting the printed text). PROVENANCE: Contemporary anonymous marginal manuscript commentary in an early sixteenth-century semi-cursive Ashkenazic hand, with square headings. Many of the short commentaries provide notarikon