Rylands Haggadah
The Rylands Haggadah is an illuminated Sephardi Passover Haggadah written and illuminated in Catalonia, Spain in the mid-14th century. It is generally regarded as one of the finest preserved and most ornate Haggadot in the world, and as an example of the "cross-fertilisation between Jewish and non-Jewish artists within the medium of manuscript illumination." Description. The Rylands Haggadah is an illuminated Passover Haggadah of the Sephardi rite dated to the mid-14th century, and produced in a style attributable to Catalonia, Spain. It contains piyyutim (liturgical poems) meant to be recited during Passover week and the Sabbath  before Passover, as well as marginal commentary and a number full-page paintings. The illustrated cycle extends from the beginning of the Book of Exodus to the Passover sacrifice. The Biblical cycle is unconventionally followed by an illustration of a Passover seder. The manuscript measures 28 centimetres (11 in) long by 23 centimetres (9 in) wide. Provenance and history. As is the case with the majority of Sephardi Haggadah of that period, the manuscript's provenance is shrouded in mystery. The identities of the patron, scribes, compilers, and illuminators who produced the work remain unknown. In 1901, the book was  sold by James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford of Haigh Hall, to Enriqueta Rylands. It was later bequeathed to The John Rylands Library. Conservator Steve Mooney spent eight months restoring and conserving the manuscript, and it is now fully digitised. From March to September 2012, Rylands Haggadah was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Illustrations. The Haggadah contains thirteen full-page miniatures with a cycle of biblical illustrations, ending in a panel of four scenes representing the Passover celebration, as well as eleven illustrations of the text set in the margins. These illustrations include: Rylands