700-Year-Old Machzor is Going on Auction for $4 Million

by Monsey.info

Sotheby’s announced Thursday that it will be putting a 700-year-old illustrated machzor, up for auction starting Oct. 19.

“On October 19, Sotheby’s New York will offer the magnificent Luzzatto High Holiday Mahzor, one of the earliest known illustrated Hebrew prayerbooks,” Sotheby’s wrote.

A scribal masterpiece produced in Southern Germany during the late 13th – early 14th century, this exceedingly rare manuscript attests to the vibrancy of the medieval Jewish community in Europe. Written in an elegant Hebrew script by a Jewish scribe-artist named Abraham, the manuscript is decorated throughout and includes important illustrations depicting the customs and dress of medieval Jewry.

Over the centuries, the Luzzatto mahzor found new homes in Alsace, the Lake Constance region, Northern Italy, and France. At each step of the volume’s journey, its new owners added notes in the margins, revealing contemporary local customs and practices, as well as the deeply personal histories of the communities that cherished it.

The mahzor boasts an impeccable provenance and is named after its illustrious owner, Samuel David Luzzatto (1800-1865), a distinguished Italian Jewish scholar and renowned book collector.

In 1870, this important manuscript was purchased by the Alliance Israélite Universelle (AIU) – the first modern international Jewish organization – founded in 1860 in Paris. Proceeds of the sale will benefit the Alliance Israélite Universelle and its mission to further Jewish education.

The seller is the Alliance Israélite Universelle, a Jewish organization based in Paris, which will use the proceeds for education and scholarships. The prayerbook is expected to go for $4 million to $6 million.