Rylands Haggadah

The Rylands Haggadah is an illuminated Sephardi Passover Haggadah written and illuminated in Catalonia, Spain in the mid-14th century. It is generally regarded as one of the finest preserved and most ornate Haggadot in the world, and as an example of the "cross-fertilisation between Jewish and non-Jewish artists within the medium of manuscript illumination."[1]

Rylands Haggadah
The John Rylands Library
TypeSephardi Haggadah
DateMid-14th century
Place of originCatalonia, Spain
Language(s)Hebrew
Author(s)Unknown
MaterialParchment
SizeLeaf height: 280 mm, width: 230 mm.
FormatCodex
ConditionConserved between July 2011 and March 2012 by Steve Mooney at the John Rylands Library
ScriptSephardi square script
Previously keptEnriqueta Rylands; James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford

Description

The Rylands Haggadah is an illuminated Passover Haggadah of the Sephardi rite dated to the mid-14th century, and produced in a style attributable to Catalonia, Spain. It contains piyyutim (liturgical poems) meant to be recited during Passover week and the Sabbath before Passover, as well as marginal commentary and a number full-page paintings. The illustrated cycle extends from the beginning of the Book of Exodus to the Passover sacrifice. The Biblical cycle is unconventionally followed by an illustration of a Passover seder.

The manuscript measures 28 centimetres (11 in) long by 23 centimetres (9 in) wide.[2]

Provenance and history

As is the case with the majority of Sephardi Haggadah of that period, the manuscript's provenance is shrouded in mystery. The identities of the patron, scribes, compilers, and illuminators who produced the work remain unknown.[3] In 1901, the book was sold by James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford of Haigh Hall, to Enriqueta Rylands. It was later bequeathed to The John Rylands Library.[4]

Conservator Steve Mooney spent eight months restoring and conserving the manuscript, and it is now fully digitised.

From March to September 2012, Rylands Haggadah was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.[4][5]

Illustrations

The Haggadah contains thirteen full-page miniatures with a cycle of biblical illustrations, ending in a panel of four scenes representing the Passover celebration, as well as eleven illustrations of the text set in the margins.[6][7][8] These illustrations include:

  • The Burning Bush and the Miraculous Staff of Moses (right); The Healing of Moses's Arm, the Return to Egypt, and Zipporah Circumcising Her Son (left)[9]
  • The Miraculous Staff of Aaron and the Plague of Blood (right); The Plagues of Frogs and of Lice (left)[10]
  • The Rylands Haggadah: The Plagues of Wild Beasts and of Cattle Disease (right); The Plagues of Boils and of Hail (left)[11]
  • The Rylands Haggadah: The Plagues of Locusts and of Darkness (right); The Death of the Firstborn and the Looting of Treasures (left)[12]
  • The Rylands Haggadah: The Israelites Leaving Egypt and the Pharaoh's Pursuing Army (right); The Crossing of the Red Sea (left)[13]
  • The Preparation of the Paschal Lamb and the Marking of the Door (above); The Celebration of the Seder (below)[14]
  • The Plagues of Locusts and of Darkness (right); The Death of the Firstborn and the Looting of Treasures (left)
    The Plagues of Locusts and of Darkness (right); The Death of the Firstborn and the Looting of Treasures (left)
  • The Preparation of the Paschal Lamb and the Marking of the Door (above); The Celebration of the Seder (below)
    The Preparation of the Paschal Lamb and the Marking of the Door (above); The Celebration of the Seder (below)

References
  1. "The Rylands Haggadah". Medieval Histories. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  2. "Hebrew Manuscripts : Hagadah shel Pesaḥ". Manchester Digital Collections. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  3. "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  4. "Rylands Haggadah: Rare Jewish book in New York". BBC News. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  5. MET Museum. "The Rylands Haggadah: Medieval Jewish Art in Context". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  6. Epstein, Marc Michael (2011-06-07). The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-15666-9.
  7. "Hebrew Manuscripts : Hagadah shel Pesaḥ". Manchester Digital Collections. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  8. "OPenn: Hebrew MS 6 Rylands Sephardi Haggadah". openn.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  9. "The Rylands Haggadah: The Burning Bush and the Miraculous Staff of Moses (right); The Healing of Moses's Arm, the Return to Egypt, and Zipporah Circumcising Her Son (left) [fols. 13v-14r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  10. "The Rylands Haggadah: The Miraculous Staff of Aaron and the Plague of Blood (right); The Plagues of Frogs and of Lice (left) [fols. 15v-16r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  11. "The Rylands Haggadah: The Plagues of Wild Beasts and of Cattle Disease (right); The Plagues of Boils and of Hail (left) [fols. 16v-17r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  12. "The Rylands Haggadah: The Plagues of Locusts and of Darkness (right); The Death of the Firstborn and the Looting of Treasures (left) [fols. 17v-18r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  13. "The Rylands Haggdah: The Israelites Leaving Egypt and the Pharaoh's Pursuing Army (right); The Crossing of the Red Sea (left) [fols. 18v-19r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  14. "The Rylands Haggadah: The Preparation of the Paschal Lamb and the Marking of the Door (above); The Celebration of the Seder (below) [fols. 19v-20r]". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
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