[Pinḳas shel Ḥayim Ṿolṭerah : igrot, teʿudot, shirim, heʿarot ʿal ha-Tanakh, ʿinyene ḳabalah, ilan ha-sefirot, halatsot, ḥidot, ṿe-khu.]. [פנקס של חיים וולטירה : אגרות, תעודות, שירים, הערות על התנ׳׳ך, עניני קבלה, אילן הספירות, הלצות, חידות, וכו׳]. [Letter book and commonplace book of Ḥayim (Vita) Volterra of Ancona].
Details
Type of record: Archive
Title: [Pinḳas shel Ḥayim Ṿolṭerah : igrot, teʿudot, shirim, heʿarot ʿal ha-Tanakh, ʿinyene ḳabalah, ilan ha-sefirot, halatsot, ḥidot, ṿe-khu.]. [פנקס של חיים וולטירה : אגרות, תעודות, שירים, הערות על התנ׳׳ך, עניני קבלה, אילן הספירות, הלצות, חידות, וכו׳]. [Letter book and commonplace book of Ḥayim (Vita) Volterra of Ancona].
Classmark: MS ROTH/262
Creator(s): (author); Olmo, Jacob Daniel ben Abraham (1690-1757)(author)
Date(s): [c 1710–1714]
Language: Hebrew; Italian
Size and medium: 157 leaves : paper, illustrations
Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/115601
Description
Hebrew title supplied by cataloguer. English title derived from Roth, “Catalogue”, in Alexander Marx: Jubilee Volume, vol. 1 (New York, 1950), no. 262.
Variant titles:
Igron. אגרון.
Igrot u-teʿudot shel Yehude Iṭalyah. אגרות ותעודות של יהודי איטליה.
Mikhtavim. מכתבים.
Perushim. פרושים.
Derashot. דרשות.
Summary:
Letter book and notebook of Hayim Vita Volterra with commonplace book features. The entries are mostly in Hebrew; some are in Italian in Latin script (folios 156–140 written from left to right and 19v–20r, 27v–28r); first two leaves of the item are probably missing.
The first part of the item (folios 1–87) is roughly divided into separate sections most of which have different running titles like: חויא, אגרות, הלצות, שאלות, קבלה, שירים, העתקות, ווידוים, חידות, דרוש נגד הגאוה, et cetera.
Numerous letters are signed “Vitta Voltera” or חיים וולטירה.
Extant dates refer to the years 472 (1711 or 1712), 1712–1714 (folios 24v, 28r, 142r, 147r, et passim).
Contains, among others:
An account of Volterra’s troubles with the Inquisition and his flight to London (folios 149v–151v), Biblical glosses, poems, various kabbalistic expositions, a sefirot tree (אלן ספירות) drawn in ink with annotations (folio 26r), riddles, a sermon against pride, et cetera.
A greater part of the item is copies of letters on various subjects, like halakhah, love, et cetera, mostly by Ḥayim Volterra but also others; Volterra copied a lengthy correspondence with Jacob Daniel Olmo of Ferrara (approximately 1690–1757).
State of text: Likely incomplete; pest-damage with loss of text; underwent conservation work.
Bibliographical note:
Roth, “Catalogue”, in Alexander Marx: Jubilee Volume, vol. 1 (New York, 1950), no. 262.
National Library of Israel (NLI), Online Catalogue, system-no. 990001858320205171. The NLI’s description is based on the microfilm of MS Roth 262 made on behalf of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts of the NLI during the 1960s. The microfilm can now be downloaded in a digitised form from the NLI-webpage.
Davis, Handlist 164 (Leeds, 2005), no. 262.
Decoration
Sefirot tree (אילן ספירות) drawn in ink with annotations (folio 26r); 2 wax seals, only partly extant are attached to front fly-leaf.
Physical characteristics
Foliation: v (i is paste-down) + i (original fly-leaf) + 155 + i (original fly-leaf) + v (v is paste-down); modern pencil foliation, upper left recto; Hebrew foliation, likely by the scribe, starts with ג on folio 1 (indicating that item's first 2 leaves are missing) and is often not extant because of pest damage.
Script: Italian cursive Hebrew script; Latin cursive script.
Ms. codex: width 91mm height 140mm
Binding
18th-century full leather over boards; lavish intricate gold-tooled decorations on upper and lower board; the center of the upper cover is gilt-lettered with: יהודה וולטירה יצו; a gilt rampant lion, facing left, is stamped in the centre of the lower board; sewn over 4 raised bands; gilt text block edges; original spine not preserved; binding underwent conservation work; spine is gilt-lettered with MS Roth 262 by conservation. Held in modern case covered with brown cloth.
Scribal information
The notebook is an autograph by Ḥayim Volterra.
Former owners and annotations
Owner’s note by Ḥayim "Vitta Voltera" in Italian and Hebrew (last leaf verso).
3 short Italian notes on the front -fly-leaf might be owners's notes but are only partly preserved.
יהודה וולטירה יצו (Yehudah Ṿolṭerah) gold-tooled on upper board’s cover.
Roth’s description of MS Roth 262, cut out from a copy of his printed catalogue, is attached to front fly-leaf.
Access and usage
Access
This material is not subject to restrictions under Data Protection or other relevant legislation that might limit access. However, other protections, such as donor conditions or conservation considerations, may still apply where advised.