Elegies, Riddles, and Poems, [16th-17th century]

Fols. 1r-5r: Elegies on the destruction of the Temple, by Isaac bar Sheshet, Joseph ben ha-kadosh (the martyr) Abraham Almosnino and Abraham Tawil.

Fols. 8r-10v: Riddles and poems by Elijah ha-Levi, poem in Portuguese in Hebrew characters (fol.10r), poem for the beginning of Maimonides’ commentary on the Mishnah, poem for R. Samuel.

Sotheby’s is grateful to Menahem Schmelzer z”l and Benjamin Richler for cataloguing this manuscript.

Provenance

Eliakim Carmoly (Catalog der reichhaltigen Sammlung hebräischer und jüdischer Bücher und Handschriften, 1875, no.137) — Solomon Halberstam (shelf no. 322, note on front flyleaf)

Physical Description

10 leaves (9 ¼ x 6 3/8 inches; 235 x 157 mm) on paper (fols. 5v-7v blank), written mostly in black ink in a Sefardi cursive script, sixteenth-seventeenth century, catchwords, modern foliation in pencil; two holes in outer margin of last leaf, minor soiling at edges, dampstaining at bottom of last few leaves, library stamp on first and last leaves. Marbled leather spine, marbled boards; slightly rubbed.

Literature

Hirschfeld (ms. no. 368)