Thursday, December 24, 2015

Sotheby's Auctions Oldest Complete Ashkenazi Torah Scroll

It's fascinating to see so many important books being auctioned lately, with top dollar hammer prices.

What really got my attention is this Torah of c. 1270, in good condition, which actually sold for the lowest estimate - 310,000usd. Check here for more details.

What is interesting to see is the many alterations that clearly were added by later hands - erasure of Peh Lefufa, adding of Shaatnez Getz tagin and others.



Also, it's interesting to see how much the Sofer had to stretch the letters in order to conform with the Vavei Amudim layout - something later authorities advised to avoid.