Illuminating in micrography
Subtitle: the Catalan micrography mahzor-MS Hebrew 8o 6527 in the National Library of Israel
By: by Dalia-Ruth Halperin
Series: The Medieval and early modern Iberian world -- volume 51
Publisher: Brill
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Leiden
Language: eng; heb
Number of pages: 561
ISBN-13: 9789004244436; 9789004251199
Subjects: Jewish illumination of books and manuscripts; Hebrew Calligraphy; Minuscule Writing; Early works to 1800; Illumination of books and manuscripts; Bet ha-sefarim ha-leʼumi ṿeha-universiṭaʼi bi-Yerushalayim. Maḥleḳet kitve ha-yad ṿeha-arkhiyonim; Bet ha-sefarim ha-leʼumi ṿeha-universiṭaʼi bi-Yerushalayim
Work titles: Iyur be-miḳrografyah
Description: In 'Illuminating in micrography', Dalia-Ruth Halperin analyzes the Catalan Micrography Mahzor, a fourteenth-century Barcelonan manuscript in Israel's National Library. Decorated with micrography, the Jewish scribal art typical of Bible manuscripts, this mahzor, which includes a rich full-page panel micrography cycle, is unique. Along with the codicological and paleographical analysis, essential for understanding the scribe's thought and working processes, the author's meticulous reading of the micrography text reveals the scribe's textual editing and manipulations. Decoding his writing flow and sequences revealed a close association between the penned text and the images formed, which reflect a Jewish theosophical-theurgical cycle. Evidence of the scribe's association with the renowned Bassa atelier enhances our knowledge of the cultural, economic, and ethnic realities of the time.