Collection of Alfonso Cassuto, Part II, at Kestenbaum & Co.
Kestenbaum & Company’s spring auction of Fine Judaica will be held on Thursday, June 23 at3:00 pm. The sale will take place at the company’s gallery at 242 West 30th Street in New York City with viewing beforehand from June 19 through June 22.
Highlighting this auction will be Part II of the historic Cassuto Collection of Iberian-related Books and Manuscripts. This extensive sale also features many fine early printed books from the Delmonico Collection, a celebrated library of fine Hebrew books formed by the late New York-based collector, William Roth. The sale also includes books recently de-accessioned from a European institutional library.
The Cassuto Collection was formed by several generations of the Cassuto family, and so became one of the most outstanding libraries of works by and about the Jews who originated from Spain and Portugal. The first part of the collection, which was auctioned by Kestenbaum & Company this past February, garnered world-wide attention as buyers, including many libraries, bid to acquire singular pieces of Iberian-Jewish history rarely seen at auction.
The foundation of the Alfonso Cassuto Collection was laid by Mr. Cassuto’s great-grandfather Jehuda de Mordehai Cassuto who in 1835 acquired a sizeable library assembled in the seventeenth century by the Namias Family of Hamburg. Subsequent generations of the Cassuto family greatly expanded the library and Alfonso in particular immersed himself enthusiastically in the books and the library’s further development. The present collection was consigned to Kestenbaum & Company by Alfonso’s son, the distinguished composer and conductor Álvaro Leon Cassuto, Artistic Director of the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.
The collection of Iberian and related texts in the auction feature theological, historical and liturgical subjects as well as books and manuscripts relating to the Inquisition, literature, science and medicine. Important lots include Joseph Penso de la Vega’s Retrato de la prudencia y simulacro del valor que en obsequioso Panegirico consagra al augusto Monarcha Guillermo Tercero Rey de la Gran Bretaña, Amsterdam, 1690, estimate $8,000-10,000 (Lot 30); a volume of architectural plates and sermons from the dedication service of the newly built Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam in 1675, estimate $5,000-7,000 (Lot 33), and the first edition of Benedictus de Spinoza’s highly influential philosophical work Opera Posthuma, Amsterdam, 1677, at a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-5,000 (Lot 37). Sure to attract interest is a seventeenth century unpublished polemical manuscript opposed to the discriminatory treatment of "New Christians" by the office of the Inquisition in Portugal, estimate $6,000-9,000 (Lot 47) and an immensely scarce large manuscript written on vellum in 1506, an important official record of Jewish properties vacated following the expulsion of Jews from Portugal in 1497, at an estimate of $15,000-20,000 (Lot 52). Also featured are texts by Isaac Cardoso (Lot 2), Manuel de Leao (Lots 10-11), Amatus Lusitanus (Lots 14-15), Jacob de Castro Sarmento (Lots 17-19), Antonio Nunes Riberio Sanches (Lots 20-21, 55-56) and Duarte Lopes Rosa (Lot 57).
Elsewhere in the 395-lot auction is a large section of American-Judaica featuring most notably a Letter of Recommendation for Haham Isaac Carigal, Emissary of Hebron Jewish Community, Amsterdam, 1758. Carigal later became a prominent figure in Colonial American history. The pre-auction estimate is $5,000-7,000 (Lot 68). Also of interest is The New Jamaica Almanack and Register for the year 1797 which includes a Jewish calendar, estimate $3,000-5,000 (Lot 75) and an issue of The Congressional Globe, containing the debates and proceedings of the First Session of the Thirty-Sixth Congress, including the first Jewish prayer intoned at the opening of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., 1860 at an estimate of $2,000-3,000 (Lot 84).
A strong section of Chassidic texts affords rich insight into a fundamental aspect of Jewish heritage. The most important lot is an exceptionally rare, complete, first edition of Jacob Joseph of Polonoye’s Toldoth Ya’akov Yoseph, the book that gave rise to the Chassidic movement, Koretz, 1780, $100,000-150,000 (Lot 136). Also noteworthy are the first editions of three fundamental Kabbalistic Prayer-Books: The Siddur of R. Asher, Lemberg, 1788, estimate $12,000-15,000 (Lot 137); the Siddur of R. Yaakov Kopel, Slavuta, 1804, estimate $12,000-15,000 (lot 138) and the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur, Koypst, 1816, at an estimate of $10,000-15,000 (Lot 139).
Outstanding among a selection of important Hebrew books in the sale is a complete set of Shimon ben Yochai’s seminal Kabbalistic text Sepher HaZohar Mantua, 1558-6, beautifully bound and in exceptionally fine condition, at an estimate of $50,000-70,000 (Lot 280). Also included is a notable edition of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah from Venice, 1574-75, estimate $7,000-10,000 (lot 261) and a rare first edition of Isaiah Ben Abraham Halevi Horowitz’s Shnei Luchoth Habrith, Amsterdam, 1648-49 at an estimate of $10,000-15,000 (Lot 201). A highly unusual and formidable text is Jacob Emden’s Sepher Shimush, Amsterdam, c.1758. This book has not been seen at auction for a great many years and is estimated at $12,000-15,000 (Lot 159).
Highlighting the Passover Hagadah section is a war-time version issued in 1945 by The 1st Camouflage Company comprised of Palestinian Jews serving in the British Army. It features a unique pastiche of elements of the traditional Hagadah text together with elements of Zionist idealism concerning rebuilding the Land of Israel, estimate $7,000-9,000 (Lot 179). The lavish Hagadah designed by Albert Rutherston, London, 1930, is also offered.This particular copy is the publisher’s own, printed entirely on vellum and in a custom binding, estimate $30,000-40,000 (Lot 180).
General books of significance include a Proclamation by Emperor Joseph I to extend "help and good will" to the Jews after a fire destroyed the entire Jewish quarter of Frankfurt a/Main, 1711, estimate $1,200-1,800 (Lot 163); a copy of the infamous White Paper of May 1939, London, estimate $700-1,000 (Lot 190) and the original official printed announcement by David Ben-Gurion's Provisional Government declaring the establishment of the State of Israel, Tel-Aviv, 14th May, 1948, estimate $1,500-2,500 (Lot 219), Two other interesting lots include a German text by an anonymous writer titled “Frank Thoughts of a Swiss Citizen Concerning the Question: Should we Recognize Jews who have Resided in Switzerland for 20 Years as Citizens, or should we Exclude Them?”, 1798, estimate $3,000-4,000 (Lot 283) and a negative counter-response to the previous Lot, 1799, at an estimate of $3,000-4,000 (Lot 284). Both booklets are bibliographically unrecorded.
An exceptional item in the Manuscripts section of the auction is a highly original Scroll of Esther from the Cassuto Collection that was boldly illuminated in vivid colors in the 1930’s by a member of the Marrano community of Porto, Portugal. The pre-sale estimate is $10,000-15,000 (Lot 325).
Prominent within the Autograph Letters section is one of the very last letters signed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, on 4th Kislev, 1985, estimate $2,000-2,500 (Lot 310); two letters by Tzvi Pesach Frank, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, (1873-1960) addressed to the San Francisco Conference in 1945 concerning the future of Jews in the Land of Israel, estimate $5,000-7,000 (Lot 311) and a letter signed by Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, the "Shinaver Rav", one of the foremost Chassidic leaders of his generation, 1896, at an estimate of $30,000-40,000 (Lot 317). Further autograph letters of note are those written by Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Yehudah Yechiel Safrin of Komarno, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger of Brody, and Rabbi Israel Lipschuetz (the Tiphereth Yisrael).
The sale concludes with a fine selection of Ceremonial Art. An historic highlight is an exceptional pair of American silver Torah Finials from Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1825, at an estimate of $60,000-70,000 (Lot 380). Also featured is a variety of styles of antique Chanukah Lamps, Kiddush Cups, Torah ornaments and other fine objects.
For further information relating to bidding or any other queries, please contact Jackie Insel at 212-366-1197.
Highlighting this auction will be Part II of the historic Cassuto Collection of Iberian-related Books and Manuscripts. This extensive sale also features many fine early printed books from the Delmonico Collection, a celebrated library of fine Hebrew books formed by the late New York-based collector, William Roth. The sale also includes books recently de-accessioned from a European institutional library.
The Cassuto Collection was formed by several generations of the Cassuto family, and so became one of the most outstanding libraries of works by and about the Jews who originated from Spain and Portugal. The first part of the collection, which was auctioned by Kestenbaum & Company this past February, garnered world-wide attention as buyers, including many libraries, bid to acquire singular pieces of Iberian-Jewish history rarely seen at auction.
The foundation of the Alfonso Cassuto Collection was laid by Mr. Cassuto’s great-grandfather Jehuda de Mordehai Cassuto who in 1835 acquired a sizeable library assembled in the seventeenth century by the Namias Family of Hamburg. Subsequent generations of the Cassuto family greatly expanded the library and Alfonso in particular immersed himself enthusiastically in the books and the library’s further development. The present collection was consigned to Kestenbaum & Company by Alfonso’s son, the distinguished composer and conductor Álvaro Leon Cassuto, Artistic Director of the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.
The collection of Iberian and related texts in the auction feature theological, historical and liturgical subjects as well as books and manuscripts relating to the Inquisition, literature, science and medicine. Important lots include Joseph Penso de la Vega’s Retrato de la prudencia y simulacro del valor que en obsequioso Panegirico consagra al augusto Monarcha Guillermo Tercero Rey de la Gran Bretaña, Amsterdam, 1690, estimate $8,000-10,000 (Lot 30); a volume of architectural plates and sermons from the dedication service of the newly built Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam in 1675, estimate $5,000-7,000 (Lot 33), and the first edition of Benedictus de Spinoza’s highly influential philosophical work Opera Posthuma, Amsterdam, 1677, at a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-5,000 (Lot 37). Sure to attract interest is a seventeenth century unpublished polemical manuscript opposed to the discriminatory treatment of "New Christians" by the office of the Inquisition in Portugal, estimate $6,000-9,000 (Lot 47) and an immensely scarce large manuscript written on vellum in 1506, an important official record of Jewish properties vacated following the expulsion of Jews from Portugal in 1497, at an estimate of $15,000-20,000 (Lot 52). Also featured are texts by Isaac Cardoso (Lot 2), Manuel de Leao (Lots 10-11), Amatus Lusitanus (Lots 14-15), Jacob de Castro Sarmento (Lots 17-19), Antonio Nunes Riberio Sanches (Lots 20-21, 55-56) and Duarte Lopes Rosa (Lot 57).
Elsewhere in the 395-lot auction is a large section of American-Judaica featuring most notably a Letter of Recommendation for Haham Isaac Carigal, Emissary of Hebron Jewish Community, Amsterdam, 1758. Carigal later became a prominent figure in Colonial American history. The pre-auction estimate is $5,000-7,000 (Lot 68). Also of interest is The New Jamaica Almanack and Register for the year 1797 which includes a Jewish calendar, estimate $3,000-5,000 (Lot 75) and an issue of The Congressional Globe, containing the debates and proceedings of the First Session of the Thirty-Sixth Congress, including the first Jewish prayer intoned at the opening of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., 1860 at an estimate of $2,000-3,000 (Lot 84).
A strong section of Chassidic texts affords rich insight into a fundamental aspect of Jewish heritage. The most important lot is an exceptionally rare, complete, first edition of Jacob Joseph of Polonoye’s Toldoth Ya’akov Yoseph, the book that gave rise to the Chassidic movement, Koretz, 1780, $100,000-150,000 (Lot 136). Also noteworthy are the first editions of three fundamental Kabbalistic Prayer-Books: The Siddur of R. Asher, Lemberg, 1788, estimate $12,000-15,000 (Lot 137); the Siddur of R. Yaakov Kopel, Slavuta, 1804, estimate $12,000-15,000 (lot 138) and the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur, Koypst, 1816, at an estimate of $10,000-15,000 (Lot 139).
Outstanding among a selection of important Hebrew books in the sale is a complete set of Shimon ben Yochai’s seminal Kabbalistic text Sepher HaZohar Mantua, 1558-6, beautifully bound and in exceptionally fine condition, at an estimate of $50,000-70,000 (Lot 280). Also included is a notable edition of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah from Venice, 1574-75, estimate $7,000-10,000 (lot 261) and a rare first edition of Isaiah Ben Abraham Halevi Horowitz’s Shnei Luchoth Habrith, Amsterdam, 1648-49 at an estimate of $10,000-15,000 (Lot 201). A highly unusual and formidable text is Jacob Emden’s Sepher Shimush, Amsterdam, c.1758. This book has not been seen at auction for a great many years and is estimated at $12,000-15,000 (Lot 159).
Highlighting the Passover Hagadah section is a war-time version issued in 1945 by The 1st Camouflage Company comprised of Palestinian Jews serving in the British Army. It features a unique pastiche of elements of the traditional Hagadah text together with elements of Zionist idealism concerning rebuilding the Land of Israel, estimate $7,000-9,000 (Lot 179). The lavish Hagadah designed by Albert Rutherston, London, 1930, is also offered.This particular copy is the publisher’s own, printed entirely on vellum and in a custom binding, estimate $30,000-40,000 (Lot 180).
General books of significance include a Proclamation by Emperor Joseph I to extend "help and good will" to the Jews after a fire destroyed the entire Jewish quarter of Frankfurt a/Main, 1711, estimate $1,200-1,800 (Lot 163); a copy of the infamous White Paper of May 1939, London, estimate $700-1,000 (Lot 190) and the original official printed announcement by David Ben-Gurion's Provisional Government declaring the establishment of the State of Israel, Tel-Aviv, 14th May, 1948, estimate $1,500-2,500 (Lot 219), Two other interesting lots include a German text by an anonymous writer titled “Frank Thoughts of a Swiss Citizen Concerning the Question: Should we Recognize Jews who have Resided in Switzerland for 20 Years as Citizens, or should we Exclude Them?”, 1798, estimate $3,000-4,000 (Lot 283) and a negative counter-response to the previous Lot, 1799, at an estimate of $3,000-4,000 (Lot 284). Both booklets are bibliographically unrecorded.
An exceptional item in the Manuscripts section of the auction is a highly original Scroll of Esther from the Cassuto Collection that was boldly illuminated in vivid colors in the 1930’s by a member of the Marrano community of Porto, Portugal. The pre-sale estimate is $10,000-15,000 (Lot 325).
Prominent within the Autograph Letters section is one of the very last letters signed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, on 4th Kislev, 1985, estimate $2,000-2,500 (Lot 310); two letters by Tzvi Pesach Frank, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, (1873-1960) addressed to the San Francisco Conference in 1945 concerning the future of Jews in the Land of Israel, estimate $5,000-7,000 (Lot 311) and a letter signed by Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, the "Shinaver Rav", one of the foremost Chassidic leaders of his generation, 1896, at an estimate of $30,000-40,000 (Lot 317). Further autograph letters of note are those written by Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Yehudah Yechiel Safrin of Komarno, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger of Brody, and Rabbi Israel Lipschuetz (the Tiphereth Yisrael).
The sale concludes with a fine selection of Ceremonial Art. An historic highlight is an exceptional pair of American silver Torah Finials from Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1825, at an estimate of $60,000-70,000 (Lot 380). Also featured is a variety of styles of antique Chanukah Lamps, Kiddush Cups, Torah ornaments and other fine objects.
For further information relating to bidding or any other queries, please contact Jackie Insel at 212-366-1197.
