אוסף ארמטה פיירוטי

A Collection of Scenery, Costumes and Paraphernalia from the Land of Israel (Palestine) This unique manuscript, written in Italian, includes 154 handwritten individual large pages (22X28cm.) with drawings and black and white and colored prints of typical Israeli figures, sketches and cuts of holy buildings, particles of clothing, jewelry, musical instruments, perfumes and sketches of animal that are mentioned in the Bible and local dried flowers. The photographs that are included in the manuscript were not taken by Pierotti himself, in our opinion, but were purchased from local photographers (The identity of the photographers is not known). The pictures and sketches are accompanied by quotes from the Bible, both the New and Old testament, from local folk tales, and from historical sources- from the writings of Josephus Flavius and an Arab geographer from the 12th century. As was accepted at that time, the visual materials explained and validated the various holy texts. Pierotti's written and visual commentaries, accompanied by personal commentary, enable us to understand the depth of his acquaintance with the society and the geography of Israel in his time. This points to the extent of Periotti's knowledge and seemingly his intention to interest the readers and draw them closer to him. Looking at all the drawings one can see a difference in the style and quality of the drawings, which leads one to question whether Pierotti drew all of them. It is likely that some of the drawings were ordered from other artists. The photographs in the manuscript are among the oldest pictures of sites in Israel. Most of the places are in the vicinity of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The manuscript was most likely written during Pierotti's stay in Israel. It seems that he completed the text after his return to Europe. Proof of this is the map from 1892 that is attached (a year after he left Israel) and the photographs that were possible to buy only from the local photographers in Israel. There are no corrections in the manuscript and one can assume that it was intended as a basis for publishing a book in the future. The manuscript was purchased in 1958 in an old book store in New York by the engineer and collector, Victor Zelkind, from Jerusalem, who donated the collection to Yad Ben-Zvi before his death. You can read the details of the purchase in Eli Schiller's article:' Ermete Pierotti, Researcher of the Land of Israel and the First Western Architect of Jerusalem' (Arial Magazine, No. 203, August 2013, pgs. 33-50). Ermete Pierotti - The Man and his Accomplishments: Ermete Pierotti was an Italian engineer and archeologist. He was born in 1831 in Madona, Italy and lived in the middle of the 19th century. He completed his studies in mathematics and engineering and was drafted as an officer in the Engineering Corps of the Royal Sardinian Army. In 1894 he was convicted of embezzlement of army funds. His punishment was the lowering of his army rank and he was banned from Italy. He eventually made his way to Jerusalem. In 1854 he was chosen by Suriye Pasha, the Ottoman Governor of Jerusalem, to serve as architectural advisor, surveyor and digger for the renovation of the historical-religious sites that were closed to Western researchers at the time (primarily the structures on the Holy Mount). He was also chosen by Suriye Pasha to serve as the engineer and architect for the renovation of the construction sites and water projects that were neglected and did not fulfill the needs of the local population. Mendel John Dinnes, a Jewish photographer who converted to Christianity assisted Pierotti in documenting the Temple Mount and its mosques and other sites around Israel. Pierotii was part of the team that built the Austrian Hospice near the Via Delarosa, and studied the Santa Anna Church and the Sister's of Zion Monastery. Archeological diggings at the site uncovered parts of the Three Domed Gates, the lower aqueduct and the water sources that led to the Temple Mount, at the time of the Second Temple. After years of working in Jerusalem, until 1861, Pierotti had a disagreement regarding the precise location of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In addition he was accused of plagiarism, copying from the book "The Holy City" by the British author, George Williams, a case that reached the Supreme Court in London. Pierotti completed his work in Israel for the Ottoman Government and returned to Europe. It is know that he resided in London between the years 1862-1864 helping to translate his book, "Jerusalem Explored". After that his whereabouts are unknown. The two volumes of this book were dedicated to Napoleon the Third in recognition of the assistance of the French Consulate in Jerusalem to his research and the French sponsorship of the Holy sites. The book was published in 1864. Pierotti was a well thought of researcher of Jerusalem and Israel. In the 1970's the Jerusalem Municipality named a street, north of the Damascus Gate, after him. اقرأ أكثر