Pesaro Siddur
(MS A380)

This outstanding work of Italian Renaissance art, a two volumes prayer book (mahzor) of Roman rite completed in 1481 in the Central Italian town of Pesaro was purchased by Kaufmann from the Triesti brothers on the first day of Purim of the year of 5656 (February 28, 1896) as it is attested by the owner’s registration. The contents of the two volumes complement each other. The name of the scribe (Abraham) is identical in both, but the script is different, thus they were possibly two persons of the same name. The decoration of the two volumes, albeit generally similar, also shows unique features.

This Renaissance chef-d’oeuvre can be presented here only through the microfilm made of  its ilustrations, because this manuscript, together with a number of other Hebrew incunabula, manuscripts and geniza fragments, was stolen from our Collection at the beginning of the 1980’s. If you have any information on its whereabouts, please inform the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.