This beautiful siddur (prayer book), following the Roman rite, was written by the great Italian scribe, Abraham Farissol (ca. 1451- ca. 1525). Farissol performed many responsibilities in the Jewish communities of northern Italy, but he was particularly sought after as a scribe. This siddur is distinguished by Farissol’s magnificent writing, on fine parchment.  

On this page you can see Farissol’s colophon, identifying himself as the scribe and describing the occasion for the production of this manuscript. He indicates that it was written as a wedding gift for a bride from her groom. Evidently, upper class Italian Jewish women during the Renaissance learned to read and had a prayer life. The quality of this manuscript means that it was very expensive—an extravagant gift from a wealthy Jewish man to his new wife.