Because of its status as such a highly valued book for Jews, and perhaps as well due to the drama of the tale, Haggadot were frequently illustrated and decorated. During the Middle Ages, beautifully illuminated handwritten Haggadot were produced. The originals are preserved in libraries around the world, and the most remarkable of these manuscripts are more widely known through their reproductions in facsimile editions. Facsimiles, which range from inexpensive to finely printed limited editions, make it possible for one-of-a-kind, rare or fragile works to be consulted in libraries and exhibitions around the world, owned by individuals, and even used for a Passover Seder.
The original Barcelona Haggadah was written in the second half of the fourteenth century in Catalonia. This work includes a variety of illustrations chronicling the life of Jews in medieval Spain. The Ashkenazi Haggadah dates from the mid-fifteenth century and was created by German Jews. The Venice Haggadah, unlike the originals of the other works in this section, was a printed book. The most recently published book, the Copenhagen Haggadah, however, is a manuscript facsimile and represents a highly ornate example of the genre.
