Esther scroll

Illustrated Esther scrolls have existed since the seventeenth century. The biblical story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jews of Persia, is read on Purim holiday. This scroll is richly decorated, featuring miniature scenes from the story surrounded by flowers and animal figures. It is illustrated in the style of Arie Leib ben Daniel. Born in Poland he created his earliest Esther scrolls in small towns in eastern and central Europe between 1732 and 1737. In the 1740s he immigrated to Venice, where he developed an elegant Italian style.