The Esther scroll, known as the megillah in Hebrew, captures the ancient legend of Queen Esther. Yearly the scroll is read on the Feast of Purim, a full swing celebration of the salvation of the Jews in the Persian empire under the rule of King Xerxes I in the 5th century. Dating back to 1746, the Esther Scroll is one of the oldest known in history and carries weight in history, tradition, and beliefs. Over six meters long and printed on a very fine parchment, the scroll has been praised for its depth and beauty both lyrically and visually with its vivid illuminations. For centuries the megillah has been held by the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek in Hanover, yet no one has known who was the original creator. Until now, as author Falk Wiesemann claims to have discovered its genesis. After piecing together bits and pieces of information and performing his own stylistic analysis of art from the period, Wiesemann has unveiled the original artist of the scroll to be Jewish scribe and illustrator Wolf Leib Katz Poppers from Hildesheim. To commemorate the discovery, esteemed publishing house Taschen has decided to release a painstakingly immaculate facsimile of the scroll in a limited edition quality — only 1,746 replicas will be carefully constructed in a leather bound cylinder, and are available for $700 each. Although not your typical “book”, the Esther Scroll is a beautifully rendered piece of history.

More looks at Taschen’s Esther Scroll facsimile after the Jump…