Domsa Károlyné, Fekete Gézáné, Kovács Mária (szerk.): Gondolatok a könyvtárban / Thoughts in the Library (A MTAK közleményei 30. Budapest, 1992)
KÖNYVTÁR ÉS HAGYOMÁNY – LIBRARY AND TRADITION
The Ulm mahzor and its missing Haggadah traditional writing instrument used by North-European scribes (fols. 91r, 188v; fig. 1). He was also entitled to perform the rite of circumcision, as it is made known by the hand placed next to his name and which three times is holding a circumcision knife (fols 42r, 45v; fig. 3), or another, not so usual, but still well known tool used for this rite : a clamp (fol. 81r; fig. 2). Occasionally, he has drawn not only a hand but a full portrait (fols 39r, 87v), one of them with the circumcision knife (fol. 163v, fig. 4). As all the portraits represented in the manuscript show similar facial features, the question rises whether Abraham the scribe has made an attempt to draw an authentic autoportrait. The manuscript contains also painted ornaments and some pen drawn illustrations. Large sized, burnished gold initial words enclosed in painted panels decorated by fine gold scrolls, open the main sections of the ritual (e.g. fols lr, 69r, lOOr). The burnished gold letters, as well as the scrolls enhancing the ground witness to a professional hand and are of a refined technique. Very different in style are the illustrations in the margins. Sketchy pen drawings, representing lively figures endowed with natural movements are executed by a skillful hand, but without great sophistication in the technique. They illustrate the text or ritual gestures such as Moses receiving the Torah (fol. 69r, 177r), a man with the ritual plants for Sukot (fol. 180v). Samson rending the lion's jaws and king David playing the harp illustrate Kaliri's liturgical poem (fol. 180v) celebrating the great protagonistes of the Bible. 7 Next to the prayers for circumcision, the ceremony is fully represented in the same sketchy style (fol. 40r). As said above, among the texts which usually compose a mahzor, one, and the most popular one, the Haggadah, is missing, although a still preserved catchword confirms that this text was originally also part of the manuscript. In fact, the missing Haggadah does exist: it forms now an independent manuscript, Ms. 7 of the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The small manuscript, composed of only 50 folios, contains the Passover Haggadah accompanied by commentaries in the margins. Size, lay-out, ruling and script are identical in this manuscript 8 and the Ulm mahzor. The main text and one of the commentaries were copied by our scribe Abraham, who uses the same method to "sign" his work : a hand pointing to the name Abraham (fol. 12r, 15v), or holding a flower next to it (fol. 29r), and also the hand holding up a clamp (fol. 47r; fig. 5) as in the Ulm mahzor (fig. 2). He gives also a further information. On fol. 39v, when copying Ps. 118, 19, he points out the three letters composing the verb "I shall enter", aleph, bet, aleph, and writes next to it in the margin : "[the three letters stand for] Abraham bar Asher, may he live longtime". This is probably the full name of the scribe (fig. 6). The decoration of the Haggadah was done by two different craftsmen, probably in two stages. The original decoration is in the same style as the painted ornaments Gondolatok a könyvtárban " 93
