Beautifully and richly illustrated Haggadah printed in Trieste, with elaborately engraved Gothic title page depicting Moses, Aaron, David and Solomon, and with 58 splendid wood engravings by C. Kirchmayr (one on nearly every page).
“The Trieste Haggadah is undoubtedly the most distinguished illustrated edition produced in Europe during the 19th century. As the engraved title page already indicates, the Haggadah is different in format and design from any that preceded it, no mean achievement in an age when the Venetian and Amsterdam Haggadah illustrations were being copied and recopied in seemingly endless succession. Almost every page contains a large engraving above the text, drawn by C. Kirchmayr. Though inspired by the iconographic themes of the past, the Trieste engravings are not a mere aping of the stereotypes then current, but display a welcome freshness of design … A scene showing the family around the Seder table had been a standard feature of almost all illustrated Haggadahs. As certain influential Haggadahs began to be copied later, the representation of the Seder became increasingly anachronistic… [However,] in the Trieste Haggadah the artist has clearly set out to present a middle-class Italian Jewish family of his own time . Not only are the men and women dressed in the current style, but each of them exhibits an individuality rarely encountered before” (Yerushalmi, 102-105).The ultimate leaf contains the musical notes for Adir Hu, Adir Bimlukha, and Ehad Mi Yodeyah. This Haggadah was published simultaneously in two issues: one entirely in Hebrew and one, as here, accompanied by an Italian translation.Yaari 899. Yudlov 1217.
Light foxing and usual ceremonial staining. An extremely good copy.
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