Paper scroll with verses from the Torah, handwritten in Samaritan script and housed inside sheet metal case in form of Samaritan Torah case. Nablus, [late 19th or early 20th century].
Ink on paper; sheet metal, cut and soldered.
Paper scroll with excerpt from the Torah (Book of Genesis, Chapter 12, portion titled "Leh Leha"), handwritten in Samaritan script. Scroll housed in handmade sheet metal case in form of Samaritan Torah case, namely with cylindrical body and with two handles (or rollers) below and three finials above.
The size of the Samaritan community in Palestine shrank dramatically in the 19th century. This was the result, among other factors, of the official hostility of the Ottoman Empire. The decline was so severe that by 1876, the entire Samaritan population numbered no more than 135 individuals. The threat of eradication looming over this ancient community actually served to attract a frenzied wave of attention, and brought about an influx of European scholars and travelers eagerly seeking to acquire all available information regarding Samaritan culture, and to purchase Samaritan manuscripts whenever possible. Objects such as the present scroll were produced in Nablus in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and sold to tourists as a means of raising money to materially support the community and ensure its physical survival.
Scroll height: 9 cm. Tears, wear, and stains. Most pages of scroll blank, or printed with Arabic text; handwritten Samaritan text handwritten only on small segment in middle of scroll. Case height: 20 cm. Minor blemishes, some rust.
Reference: Scripture and Schism: Samaritan and Karaite Treasures from the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary (New York, NY: The Library), item no. 20.