Manuscript, segulot, amulets and incantations. [Italy, 19th century]. Hebrew and Italian.
Neat script. Includes kabbalistic illustrations and diagrams. Hebrew and Italian, paragraph after paragraph. In Part II, the leaves are written from left to right.
Leaves [50–58] feature pentacle illustrations (based on the Key of Solomon, a Latin work from the Renaissance period).
This unique manuscript incorporates various traditions of magic, and makes use of prescriptions and amulets which originate from Christian writings. See: Alessia Bellusci, Jewish Magic in the Syncretic Renaissance, I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, Volume 24, Number 1, Spring 2021.

[90] leaves (including 13 blank leaves). Approx. 13.5 cm. Fair–good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming, affecting text. Original, gilt–decorated leather binding, damaged.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, IT.011.016.

"Pe'er Nesher", large poster with a hymn of praise dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte by Rabbi Moise Sabbato Beer di Pesaro. Pisa (under French occupation): Societa Letteraria, 1809. Hebrew, Italian and some Latin.
Large, impressive poster, exalting the greatness of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French. Printed in Northern Italy during the Napoleonic occupation of the region.
The Hebrew name of the Hymn, "Pe'er Nesher", appears on the upper part of the poster, flanked on both sides by wings of a vulture, referring to the coat of arms of the house of Bonaparte. The Hebrew letter 'Shin' is raised to resemble a large crown (the arrangement of the hymn's name and the wings surrounding it is reminiscent of the flag of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy).
The center of the poster features a long dedication and prayer for Emperor Napoleon, and his wife, Josephine (Hebrew). Followed by a typographically intricate hymn of praise dedicated to the emperor (in Hebrew an Italian), with textual references and interpretations, arranged around the hymn, to resemble a Gemara page. The last reference suggests that the hymn was composed in Venice.
Signed in print by Rabbi Moise Sabbato Beer di Pesaro – presumably Rabbi Moise Shabtai Beer, who served as Rabbi in Rome from 1825 onwards. Rabbi Beer conferred with Pope Leo XII (1760–1829), in an effort to alleviate the hardships suffered by the Jewish community of his city, and is considered to be the first Roman Jew to have been allowed a personal meeting with the supreme pontiff; passed away in Rome in 1835 (see: Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, P. 635).
Due to his pivotal role in the emancipation of European Jewry, numerous hymns of praise and admiration were dedicated to Napoleon by Jews. The Napoleonic Code introduced to countries occupied by the French bore the spirit of the French revolution, epitomized in the motto "liberty, equality, fraternity", which significantly improved the condition of various minorities, granting them significant civil rights, which had been withheld until that point. In general, Jews held a positive attitude towards Napoleon, with some even interpreting his arrival as a symbol of the initial stages of the Messianic redemption.

55.5X72 cm. Frame: 71.5X87.5 cm. Good condition. Minor folding marks and creases. Unexamined out of frame.

Exhibitions:
• Only on paper: Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection, CD, 2005.
• Italia ebraica: oltre duemila anni di incontro tra la cultura italiana e l'ebraismo / сura della mostra e del libro, Natalia Berger e Daniela Di Castro. Tel Aviv, 2008.
Provenance:
• Sotheby's – Judaica auction, Tel Aviv, 19th April, 1990, lot no. 85.
• The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 121.011.001.

Manuscript, songs and piyyutim. Rhodes, [1872].
Illustrated title page with floral motifs, stating that the manuscript was scribed by Chizkiyah Moshe David Israel and completed on 9th Iyar 1872 in Rhodes.
The songs and piyyutim are organized according to maqam types.
Includes many piyyutim by R. Yisrael Najara and his close disciple R. Avtalyon son of R. Mordechai. See Hebrew description for more details on the contents of the manuscript.
Blank leaves between the various maqams; piyyutim in a different hand were scribed on some of them. Several glosses and additions in a different hand throughout the manuscript.
Ownership inscriptions in Ladino, in Hebrew and Latin characters, on the title page and first and final leaves.

Illustrated manuscripts originating from Rhodes are exceptionally rare.

[4], 96, [2] leaves (including blank pages). 20 cm. Good condition. Stains, including dampstains and purple ink stains to several pages. Several marginal tears. Inscriptions, signatures and stamp. Fine, new gilt–decorated leather binding, incorporating parts of original binding.

The present manuscript is from the end of the Ottoman rule of Rhodes, before the island was conquered by the Italians in the early 20th century.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, OT.011.008.

Manuscript, amulets, hashbaot and segulot. [Turkey?, 18th/19th century].
Cursive Sephardic (Oriental) script, in various hands. Tables, kabbalistic illustrations and Angelic script.
Includes segulot and amulets for various matters: for difficult labor, for conceiving, for headaches, evil eye, love, and more. The manuscript also comprises a diverse collection of amulets and hashbaot against demons, including many texts of incantations bowls.

[105] leaves. Leaves bound out of sequence; manuscript incomplete. 17 cm. Good–fair condition. Stains (including red ink stains). Tears and wear, affecting text in several places. New binding.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, OT.011.021.

Manuscript, anthology of works pertaining to tekufot, moladot and zodiacs. [Turkey?, 17th/18th century].
Neat Sephardic script (semi–cursive and cursive). Black ink, with touches of gold. Includes diagrams, circular diagrams, and tables.
See Hebrew description for more details on the contents of the manuscript.

[23] leaves. 20 cm. Good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Some worming. Tiny marginal tears, repaired in part with paper. Inscriptions. New binding.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, OT.011.006.