szyk artur roth cecil (2 risultati)

Hardcover. Condizione: As New. 1st Edition. NEVER USED MINOR STORAGE SHELF WEAR AS IT WAS STORED NEW.

First Szyk edition, number 59 of 125 copies printed on vellum, signed by both illustrator and editor, and released for sale in the United States. The most lavishly produced modern edition of the Haggadah, this was Szyk's magnus opus, drawing a striking visual parallel between the Passover narrative of oppression in ancient Egypt and the alarming development of anti-Jewish activities in Nazi Germany. The Polish-born Jewish artist Artur Szyk (1894-1951) was known in the 1930s for his political cartoons, the most famous of which depicted Hitler as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh; his art had become more politically engaged after Hitler took power in Germany in 1933. Szyck's choice of the Haggadah as a new subject, other than the artistic possibilities that it offered, was motivated by the thematic significance of the text as a reminder of past Jewish triumphs over persecution. "While the miniature paintings depict historical scenes, in the text illuminations Szyk has combined figures in historical costume, characters from the east European ghetto, and young Jewish pioneers in Palestine. These figures illustrate a continuum, making the point that the struggle for freedom cannot be relegated to the past but is very much a current and contemporary concern" (Ansell, p. 93). The monumental collection of illustrations took Szyk several years to complete. When he presented the work to potential publishers around 1937, many rejected it; this was partly due to the challenge of reproducing the artist's fine detail and vibrant colours, and partly due to the explicitly anti-Nazi subject matter, as the illustrations depicted the Egyptians, snakes, and other vicious animals decorated with swastikas. However, the Beaconsfield Press was founded by several prominent members of the Jewish community in England with the express purpose of publishing Szyk's project; the corporation was named in honour of Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield. In the final version, the swastikas were removed, but Szyk's message was remarked in the introduction, in which the editor and translator Cecil Roth, renowned historian of Judaism, emphasizes the parallels drawn by the artist between the historical tale and present-day political issues. The book was printed in 1939, then bound and published in 1940. It enjoyed a great success and was hailed by The Times as "worthy to be placed among the most beautiful of books that the hand of man has produced". A further 125 copies, also printed on vellum and signed, were issued for distribution in England. Joseph P. Ansell, Arthur Szyk: Artist, Jew, Pole, 2004; "The Haggadah - A Sumptuous Illustrated Edition", The Times Literary Supplement, 22 Feb. 1941. Large quarto, comprising 118 french-fold leaves. Original blue morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, spine with raised bands, compartments framed in gilt enclosing gilt lettering and crown tools, triple gilt fillet border to covers, large illustration of high priest holding the matzoh and Passover wine as centrepiece, board edges and turn-ins tooled in gilt, doublures of cream silk satin illustrated with Moses supporting the Ten Commandments. Housed in the original velvet-lined blue half morocco solander box, blue morocco label with lion's head design in gilt to front board. Text in Hebrew and English. Printed in black, purple, blue, red, and green on vellum. With 14 full-page plates and numerous vignettes and border decorations printed in colour, all by Szyk. The box with couple of spots of wear at extremities, some marks and toning to cloth, couple of scratches, still presenting well. A fine copy in the handsome original binding.