Mishneh Torah L’HaRambam. Venice, 1550
Printed entirely on parchment
Sefer Nashim – Kedushah. Giustiniani Press
Mishneh Torah L’HaRambam, volumes Nashim and Kedushah with Migdal Oz and Maggid Mishneh commentaries. This edition was edited and proofread by the great Italian sages Rabbi David Pitzigtun and Rabbi Ezriel Deina and features several glosses by Rabbi Meir Katznellbogen, the Maharam of Padua.
The present book, printed entirely on expensive parchment, is an exceedingly valuable copy and rare find. During that era, it was a massive financial undertaking to print a volume of this size entirely on parchment, which was certainly custom made for a distinguished figure.
This volume is the second half of the original first volume. Due to the sheer size and volume of the sefer, the owners would often divide it into several volumes in order to preserve it. The present item boasts a parchment leaf with a handwritten title page copied from the original title page of the first volume. The title page is stamped with the censor mark from the 1839 Russian decree regarding books and also a list of birthdates ranging from 1866-1872
Venice, 1550. Marco Antonio Giustiniani Press. 229-389, [1] leaf. Page size: 36.5 cm. Title page is slightly smaller, measuring only 34.7 cm.
The colophon features the printer’s emblem of Justinian. The bottom of this page has a tear that was professionally restored. Minor creases and several page slightly darker than the others. Good condition. Bound in artistic, ornate new binding with leather-bound wood, gilded engravings, and antique clasps.
Provenance: Sotheby’s
The Bragadin- Giustiniani Controversy
In the mid-16th century, the two premier Hebrew presses in Venice, Italy, the celebrated printing capital of the world, were the Bragadin and Giustiniani Presses. These two printing houses vied for the most prestigious Jewish customers, but their rivalry evolved into an all-out war with the printing of the Mishneh Torah L’HaRambam. The owners of the Bragadin Press accused Giustiniani Press printers of stealing Maharam Padua’s comments on the Mishneh Torah L’HaRambam, and the Giustiniani press printers vigorously denied it. The controversy swelled to epic proportions and eventually reached the Beis Din of the Rema in Krakow (see Shu”t Rema Ch. 10).
Legend has it that following this bitter controversy, local Christians reported several sections in the Talmud that include statements that are disparaging of Christianity to Pope Julius III. The slanderous reports caused the Pope to sign a decree ordering the burning of the Talmud and immediate closure of Hebrew printing presses in Venice. Sadly, it would take a full decade before these establishments reopened.
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