Calendar, manuscript on paper, with illustrations. Ancona, 1811. The painter: Yaakov Yisrael Montefiore.
Structure of the calendar:
A. Title page with illustration of a calendar wheel. Underneath the name of each month are various numbers (which also appear on the calendar page) and the number of days in each month. Place and year of writing: Ancona 1811.
B. Twelve leaves with the Gregorian calendar months, name of the month in Italian at the top of each leaf in an illustrated frame, number of days in each month underneath, and in the centre different numbers whose significance is unknown (some numbers are more dominant and appear several times, sometimes more than once on a page).
The frame is in the style of Ketubot from Ancona.
C. Final leaf with the personal symbol of Napoleon Bonaparte, the name of the painter (Iacob Israel M.fiori), and a star with the letter N inside is in the center. As to the identity of the artist, he was a son of the Montefiore family who lived in Ancona (the Italian branch of the well-known Minister Moses Montefiore). The painter Yaakov Yisrael Montefiore was born in 1748.
The Jews of Ancona lived in a ghetto under difficult conditions and degradation until Napoleon’s arrival in 1797, when his army conquered the city and the walls of the ghetto were destroyed. Following that, Napoleon was considered a redeemer in the eyes of the Jews and this fact brought about widespread folk art connected to Napoleon and their freedom. It appears that the final page of the calendar represents Montefiore’s part in the phenomenon.
With regard to the star that appears in this painting but does not appear on Napoleon’s official symbol: In 1811 a large comet appeared in the skies of Europe, and was seen for 500 days. This phenomenon was expressed in the various disciplines of art, writing, and science. Astronomers in Europe made numerous calculations relating to the comet [it is possible that the numbers on the calendar relate to it]. That year Napoleon was at his greatest and therefore the comet earned the name “Napoleon’s Star” and Napoleon’s luck was connected to the Napoleon in the sky.
Unique object, connected to Napoleon Bonaparte and perhaps brings Montefiore’s calculations related to “Napoleon’s Star.”
According to a professional opinion, Montefiore’s calculations of time are not exact or scientific, and it is very possible that the numbers are some kind of code. See attached material.
[14] leaves, 9 cm. Good condition. Stains on the pages. Original cover, slightly worn.

Six illustrated leaves from a Siddur. Handwritten on very thick parchment-like paper. Italy, 19th century.
Impressive colorful illustrations of the Ark of the Covenant, harp, basket and more, with decorated headings and frames. Both the handwriting and the characteristics of the illustration attest to Italy as the source of the pages.
The frames of the pages are in the Rococo style which indicates that the work is from the 19th century, as that style was almost completely unused by the Jews prior to that time.
Illustrated manuscripts of Siddurim from that time are rare as there was no reason to create fancy manuscripts at a time when printing was advanced and relatively cheap. Apparently these leaves were part of a complete Siddur, which was given as a gift.
The leaves are from: Erev Shabbat Mincha, Arvit, Shacharit, Tikkun HaGesher, Mincha, Mi Kamocha.
[6] leaves, 41.5 cm. Fair condition. Many stains. The leaves have been badly damaged and have undergone professional and detailed restoration. Significant signs of repair are on all pages as well as on the illustrations. Leather binding.