The Order of Grace after Meals

Eighteenth-century scribe, calligrapher, draftsman, and illuminator Aaron Wolff Herlingen (ca. 1700–ca. 1760), known as Aaron Schreiber, was a prominent member of the Moravian school of scribes and illuminators. He was born in Gewitsch, Moravia, spent time in Pressburg, and later settled in Vienna. Herlingen’s earliest-known manuscript, a birkon (Grace after Meals) dated to 1719/20, was produced in Vienna. He soon began receiving commissions from Jewish and non-Jewish customers. In 1736, he was appointed scribe of the royal library in Vienna. Most famed for his elaborately decorated Haggadahs (he produced at least eight) and Grace after Meals illustrations, Herlingen created a range of illuminated manuscripts in various languages. This illustration from a Grace after Meals, which includes other blessings, depicts a woman saying her bedtime prayers.