Mizrach Plaque – Chanukah Candle Lighting and Megillat Antiochus – Illustrations of Menorah and Holy Sites – ...

Mizrach Plaque – Chanukah Candle Lighting and Megillat Antiochus – Illustrations of Menorah and Holy Sites – Jerusalem, 1863 – Exceptionally Rare Plaque, Not Documented by Shoshana Halevy

Mizrach plaque, with order of Chanukah candle lighting, Megillat Antiochus and illustrations of holy sites. Jerusalem: HaLevanon newspaper press, 1863.
Poster printed in large format. At the center of the poster is an illustration of the Temple menorah and jug of oil, with decorated columns headed by olive saplings. Next to the menorah appears the caption "Chanukah miracle". At the top of the poster, under the word Mizrach, appear blessings for Chanukah candle lighting, with Megillat Antiochus appearing on both sides of the poster (based on "an ancient text found in an old manuscript in the British Library…"). In addition, there are four illustrations of the site of the Temple, the Cave of Machpelah, the tomb of Rachel and the grave of the prophet Zechariah son of Jehoiada. At the bottom of the poster appear the place and year of printing and names of the printers, as well as the name of the publisher, R. "Simchah son of R. A. of Kollel Chabad, from Jerusalem".

57.5X45 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains (many stains on verso of leaf, some dark). Folding marks. Marginal tears, and minute open tears to folds, slightly affecting illustrations and folds.

Exceptionally Rare wall plaque, not documented by Sh. Halevy. Documented in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book based on a photocopy from a private collection (the present copy). Not in the NLI catalogue.
A facsimile of the poster, from the Israel Museum collection, appears in: Arts and Crafts in Eretz Israel in the 19th Century, Jerusalem: Israel Museum, 1979 (Hebrew), illustration no. 155.