Sefirat HaOmer – Large Parchment Plaque Embellished with Micrography, with Blessings for Festivals and Protective ...

Sefirat HaOmer – Large Parchment Plaque Embellished with Micrography, with Blessings for Festivals and Protective Amulets – Amsterdam, Early 19th Century

Large parchment plaque with order of Sefirat HaOmer, presumably produced by Tzvi Hirsch son of David Sofer Stam of Amsterdam (see below). [Presumably Amsterdam, early decades of the 19th century (unsigned and undated)].

Ink on parchment.

Large micrographic work, with exceptional complexity of content and richness of decoration, including the order of Counting of the Omer and many mentions of and allusions to the Jewish calendar, customs and mitzvot: Shabbat, Havdalah, festivals and holidays, prayers and blessings, quotations from the Haftarah and Mishnah, amulets, Holy Names, names of angels, Five Megillot, and more.

The top of the plaque features the blessing for counting of the Omer, while the bottom features the verse "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill"; the center features an assortment of verses, blessings and illustrations, meticulous and rich in detail, including the blessings for Biur Chametz, Eruv Tavshilin, Sukkah, Chanukah candle-lighting, an illustration of the scales of righteousness and wickedness for Rosh Hashanah, the "Horn of Salvation", three crowns and additional decorations, all set within ornamented frames.

The center of the plaque features a masterful schematic illustration of the Temple structure, with the vessels of the Tabernacle – comprising a Lamnatzeach Menorah, the Two Tablets, the Ark, the Altar, the Table, and the Holy of Holies, among other sacred elements – enclosed within a separate frame surrounded by verses from Tehillim, Holy Names and the initials of the piyyut Ana BeKoach.

The plaque is encompassed by three decorative frames, executed in fine micrography containing the verses of the Five Megillot – the Books of Esther, Eichah, Kohelet, Ruth and Shir HaShirim. The outer frame is composed of a pattern of interlocking ovals; the central frame displays a repeating pattern of flowers and leaves (with eight-pointed stars adorning all four corners); the inner frame is composed of a repeating pattern of interlocking diamond shapes. A fourth, innermost frame, is composed of 49 circles and squares, each one representing a day of the Omer count.

Although the present plaque is unsigned, the artist appears to be Tzvi Hirsch ben David Sofer Stam, a scribe believed to have worked in Amsterdam, ca. 1815-1830 (according to another conjecture, his earliest work dates to 1800). Other micrographic plaques he produced, including some similar Sefirat HaOmer plaques, are held in public and private collections: a parchment plaque, dated 1800, auctioned in 2007 (Sotheby's, New York, December 19, 2007, Lot 190); another very similar plaque, dated ca. 1825, held in the JTS Library, B(NS)Mc43; a third plaque, on paper, dated 1830, auctioned in 2020 (Sotheby's, New York, December 17, 2020, Lot 173). In addition to these plaques, there are several extant manuscripts copied by Tzvi Hirsch ben David Sofer Stam, including: Year-round order of festivals, with Kavanot of the Arizal, Amsterdam, 1830 (Library Ets Haim – Livraria Montezinos, EH 47 C 19); and Seder Tefilat HaChodesh BeKitzur according to the Livorno rite, [Amsterdam?], 1831 (JTS Library, Ms. 4752).

Approx. 80X70 cm. Fair-good condition. Large stains, some dark, slightly affecting text and illustrations. Ink faded in several places. Small marginal holes, tears and open tears (partially repaired with parchment), not affecting text or illustrations. Remains of acid-free tape to verso. Several tears and cuts, professionally restored on verso.