RT Article
T1 An Illustrated Haggadah for Sefardi Exiles in Istanbul
JF Religions
VO 14
IS 9
A1 Ḳog'man-Apel, Ḳaṭrin 1958-
LA English
PB MDPI
YR 2023
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1860034721
AB The first illustrated haggadah of the print era was published around 1505 by David and Samuel ibn Nahmias in Istanbul (henceforth “Istanbul Haggadah”). It was embellished with woodcuts that had been commissioned in 1492 in Naples. This paper approaches the Istanbul Haggadah as a cultural product of the early Sefardi Diaspora. A comparative iconographic method reveals idiosyncrasies in relation to the tradition of medieval manuscript haggadot, which are then contextualized within the cultural ambience of the early Sefardi Diaspora in Naples, where Don Isaac Abarbanel played a central role as a spiritual and communal leader. My analysis is based on three types of information and sources: Abarbanel’s post-expulsion writings, among others a commentary on the haggadah; book-historical data on the early phases of printing; and historical information on the lives of the refugees. Most Sefardi printing projects from the post-expulsion years were aimed at meeting the spiritual needs of the community of exiles. The Istanbul Haggadah, and particularly its illustration program, was a fitting compliment to these endeavors.
K1 early Hebrew printing
K1 Sefardi Diaspora
K1 Isaac Abarbanel
K1 Passover haggadah
K1 Passover ritual
DO 10.3390/rel14091192