SZYK'S HAGGADAH IN PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL EMBOSSED AND ORNAMENTED SILVER BINDING, RICHLY ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS COLOR PLATES

SZYK, Arthur. The Haggadah. Edited by Cecil Roth. Jerusalem, Tel Aviv: "Massadah" and "Alumoth", 1962. Octavo, original full silver boards, elaborately embossed and ornamented. $1250.

Later edition of Szyk's stunning Haggadah, printed in Israel with full- and in-text color plates, in publisher's elaborately embossed and ornamented silver binding, text in Hebrew and English.

Working in the style of 16th-century miniaturist painters, Szyk used colors "with the luminosity of Gothic stained glass windows. His Hebrew lettering was superbly decorative and his illuminations showed a close acquaintance with Jewish Legend" (Encyclopedia Judaica). Originally published in 1939 in an edition of only 250 copies, Szyk's Haggadah became his personal and political statement. He viewed his Jewish heritage as integral to his work: "I am but a Jew praying in art, and… if I have succeeded to some degree, I owe it all to the teachings and the traditions and the eternal virtues of my people." This sumptuous edition features numerous full- and in-text color plates. It is beautifully bound in the publisher's full ornamental silver spine and hinged boards, which boast elaborately embossed pictorial designs, including scenes of Jerusalem and emblems of the Twelve Tribes. The central panel on the front board bears the Tables of the Law surmounted by a crown with text in Hebrew. The rear board depicts a menorah in the central panel, within an intricate border. Printed in Israel. Text in Hebrew and English. Without slipcase.

Front hinge expertly repaired. A beautiful copy.