Souvenirs de Levant [Souvenirs from the Levant] edited by M.W. Shapira [Moses Wilhelm Shapira] and C.F. Spittler Jerusalem, [ca. 1870s.].
Souvenir for tourists, made by Moses Wilhelm Shapira, collector and antiquities dealer who lived in Jerusalem in the second half of the 19th century and became famous as a forger of antiquities.
A small box in the shape of a medal, within which a booklet is folded as an accordion, with twenty prints of illustrations – figures from the Levant. Diameter of box: approx. 4.5 cm. Good condition. Slightly damaged (mainly box).
From the collection of Dr Simon Cohen.

Souvenir von Jerusalem. Jerusalem: A. Zweibner & J. Goldberg, [late 19th century, after 1895]. Hebrew, Russian, English, German, French.
Album with a folded illustrations-plate, in hard-cover: "Jerusalem the Holy City and the holy towns and all the holy places and the colonies established by the generous Baron von Rothschild and Hovevei Zion" (Hebrew). Numerous pictures of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jaffa, Bethlehem, Safed and the colonies. Illustrations were drawn after photographs attributed to the artist Meir Rozin. [14] illustrations-plates printed on one folded sheet, in hard-cover, 19 cm. Good condition. Slight damages. Tears to folding marks between the plates. Damages to binding. Dedication on inner side of back cover.
From the collection of Dr Simon Cohen.

1. Al Shoshanim, Miyerushalayim Lebaneha, Shirei Yedidut (on Roses, from Jerusalem to its sons, songs of friendship). Z. [Ze'ev] Yavetz, Jerusalem, [1890s].
Small album with heavy cardboard leaves. Printed texts (mainly from Psalms and Prophets but also songs by Rabbi Yehuda Halevi) appear on one side of the leaves. Pressed flowers, are artistically pasted on the reverse, (accompanied by titles in Hebrew and German). An additional title page in German followed by a short poem by Heinrich Heine. [14] leaves, 15.5X10.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Tears to cover. Stains. Filing holes. Worming on one leaf.
2. Pirchei Eretz HaKedosha [Flowers from the Holy Land], natural flowers from the holiest sites in the land of our fathers. Accompanied by history of the sites…composed by Avraham Moshe Lunz. [A.M. Lunz printing press], Jerusalem [ca. 1896].
Album with pressed flowers, featuring texts in Hebrew and German about the sites where the flowers were gathered. Bound in a nice olive wood binding inscribed “Yerushalem (Hebrew) Jerusalem”, surrounded by a frame inlaid with pieces of wood in different colors. [14] leaves, album: 16X10 cm. Good condition. Stains. Damages to binding.
From the collection of Dr Simon Cohen.

Fine writing box, made of olive wood, with carved ornamentations of sites in Eretz Israel. [Eretz Israel, late 19th century].
Olive wood, carved ornamentation, inlaid wood. Printing.
The body of the box consists of two parts: a writing box and a pencil case.
The pencil case for storing writing supplies – inkwell, pen etc., is divided into compartments and includes a locking mechanism (key is missing). Vegetal patterns and the Cave of Patriarchs are carved on the cover of the pencil case (with title printed in Hebrew). A frame surrounds the ornamentation created from inlaid colorful miniature pieces of wood.
The writing box has an inclining cover, which opens with two hinges and can be used as a writing surface. The inner part of the writing surface rises and reveals a storage compartment for paper. Behind a movable wooden plaque, in the back panel of the paper storage compartment, are two small movable drawers.
In the center of the writing box's cover appear carved ornamentations: Tombs of the Davidic Kings and flowers. The frame around the ornamentations is made of inlaid pieces of wood in different colors, some in the shape of a Star of David. Inscribed on upper part of cover are the titles "ירושלם" and "Jerusalem".
Side panels (on right and left) are also carved, with vegetal ornamentations and Holy Sites. On the right – the Western Wall and on the left – Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock). Height: approx. 12 cm, width: 34.5 cm, length: 28 cm. Good condition. Slight damages.