La imagen al servicio del texto: masora ornamental en el manuscrito bíblico hebreo BH Mss1

The Masoretic notes that appear alongside the biblical text written in geometric or figured shapes are little studied to date. The few existing studies usually focus on the form without paying attention to the content. The biblical Hebrew manuscript BH Mss1 (M1) has a huge number of Masoretic notes in figured patterns and while the existence of figured Masorah has been addressed, their designs have not been described and studied in relation to their content. This paper focuses on the figured Masorah notes, their location, shape and content. From a joint analysis of the form and content it is possible to conclude that the main purpose behind writing the Masorah in figured patterns in M1 is a practical one: to record all the information in the available space.Las noticias masoréticas escritas en formas geométricas o figurativas que aparecen junto al texto bíblico han sido poco estudiadas hasta la fecha. Los escasos estudios existentes se suelen centrar en la forma, sin tener en cuenta el contenido. El manuscrito bíblico BH Mss1 (M1) contiene un gran número de noticias masoréticas en forma figurativa que, si bien ya habían sido mencionadas, sus diseños no han sido descritos ni estudiados en relación con su contenido. El presente trabajo se centra en las noticias de Masora figurativa, su localización, forma y contenido. El análisis conjunto de la forma y el contenido de las noticias permite concluir que la razón principal para escribir la Masora en forma figurativa en M1 es práctica

Uncovering the Oppenheimer Siddur: using scientific analysis to reveal the production process of a medieval illuminated Hebrew manuscript

The aim of this research was to use non-invasive scientifc analysis to uncover evidence of the planning process and relationship between pigments used in text copying and artwork production in the Oppenheimer Siddur (Oxford Bodleian Library MS Opp. 776), an illuminated 15th-century Hebrew prayer book. In many medieval Hebrew illuminated manuscripts, the authorship of the artwork is unknown. This manuscript’s colophon states that it was copied by its scribe-owner for personal family use but does not confrm who was responsible for the artwork. Prior deductive analysis suggested that the scribe-owner may also have been the manuscript’s artist, based on common motifs and an apparent shared colour palette appearing in both texts and artwork. Visual examination using high resolution digital images also identifed points of contact between pigments used in the manuscript’s texts and artwork, raising questions about the pigment application sequence, and concurrent versus sequential text copying and artwork production. An in-house developed remote spectral imaging system (PRISMS) with 10 flters spanning the spectral range from 400 to 880 nm was modifed for close-range application to image two of the folios to examine the sequence of production, identify the pigments and compare the materials used for the illumination and the text. Optical microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total refection mode (FTIR-ATR) were used directly on the folios to complement the spectral imaging data in binding media and pigment identifcation. The results revealed close matches in refectance spectra for the colorants and inks used in both text copying and illuminations, suggesting that the same mixture of colorants and inks have been used. The spectral imaging in the near infrared bands revealed a hidden underdrawing, indicating a design change during production of the manuscript, and the outlining of letters prior to coloured pigment being applied. The pigment use, the variation in the binder for diferent pigments and some elements of its production were found to be consistent with those described in historical sources. The evidence from this study supports the hypothesis that the scribe applied pigments for the manuscript’s artwork at the same time he did some of the scribal work which has implications for understandings of Jewish medieval visual cultures

Hebrew Manuscript Painting in Late Medieval Spain: Signs of a Culture in Transition

The art of Hebrew illuminated manuscripts from Spain is revealed in two distinct artistic languages: an aniconic, primarily ornamental idiom whose formal language is closely linked to the Islamic arts of Spain. The biblical picture cycles in the Passover Haggadot, on the other hand, use a richly narrative mode, do not refrain from figurative images, and are deeply embedded in the Gothic stylistic tradition. The paper proposes an explanation of this phenomenon within the fabric of inner-Jewish polemics and cultural change. The use of Islamic decoration patterns and the adherence to aniconic ornamentation cannot simply be explained in terms of the centuries-long presence of Islam in most parts of the peninsula. Rather, the preference for Islamic styles mirror a continuous dialogue with Islamic culture in an effort to keep alive those cultural values traditional Sephardic Jewry stood for, at a moment in history, when these values were challenged by other cultural trends

Une Haggada de Pâques provenant du Midi de la France:Le programme des images dans le manuscrit de Londres Add. 14761

Der Aufsatz behandelt eine jüdische Handschrift aus dem 14. Jahrhundert, von der bisher angenommen wurde, dass sie aus Barcelona stammt. Eine auf unterschiedlichen Methoden basierende Analyse ergibt allerdings, dass die Handschrift in Südfrankreiche (Roussillon) lokalisert werden sollte

Joel ben Simeon Looking at the Margins of Society

Der jüdische Schreiber und Illustrator Joel ben Simeon war im 15. Jh. in Süddeutschland und Norditalien tätig. Seine Arbeit, die uns in mehr als 20 illuminierten hebräischen Handschriften überliefert ist, ist daher symptomatisch für spätmittelalterliche Prozesse des Kulturaustausches. Unter Einfluss des italienischen Realismus arbeitete Joel ben Simeon zahlreiche Motive des täglichen Lebens in sein Repertoire ein. Der Aufsatz kontextualisiert einige dieser Motive in der jüdischen Sozialgeschichte

Jewish Art and Cultural Exchange: Theoretical Perspectives

Der Aufsatz untersucht eine Reihe von Fallbeispielen zum Thema Kulturaustausch in der jüdischen Kunst und beleuchtet diese vor dem Hintergrund verschiedener theoretischer Ansätze.This paper deals with cultural exchange, an issue crucial for the study of medieval Jewish art. It aims to propose a more precise definition of Jewish pictorial art than that of a minority operating within different majority cultures by discussing different theoretical concepts. The paper presents historical-anthropological models of interpretation, on the one hand, and theoretical formulations derived from literary studies, on the other. These concepts are examined in several art-historical test cases from the field of Jewish art in which the issue of cultural exchange is particularly crucial. Conclusions drawn from these test cases may shed light on the applicability of such models in the context of visual culture

Kulturaustausch und jüdische Kunst in der Spätantike und im Mittelalter

Ein Überblick der jüdischen Kunst in der Spätantike und im Mittelalter vor dem Hintergrund des jüdisch/nicht-jüdischen Kulturaustausches. Die Forschung begann noch im späten 19. Jh. sich mit der jüdischen Bildkultur auseinanderzusetzen. Seither stellte sich immer wieder die Frage nach dem Verhältnis dieser Bildkultur zum biblischen Bilderverbot. Besonders die Tatsache, dass es während der Spätantike und des Mittelalters längere Perioden gab, in denen das Judentum von jeglicher Figuralkunst absah, wurde mit dem religiösen Gesetz in Zusammenhang gebracht, obwohl dieses de facto keine Vorbehalte gegen zweidimensionale Kunst hat. Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht die jüdische figurale Malerei daher nicht vor dem Hintergrund des jüdischen Religionsgesetzes, sondern betrachtet das zeitweilige Auftreten, bzw. das Fehlen einer Figuralkunst im Lichte verschiedener Akkulturationsprozesse und des sich wandelnden Verhältnisses zur nichtjüdischen Umwelt.Modern Scholarship began already in the late nineteenth century to consider Jewish visual culture. Ever since these early beginnings the question of how this visual culture can be reconciled with the biblical prohibition to create art, has occupied students and scholars. In particular puzzling is the fact that late antique and medieval Jews created figurative art during certain periods, whereas during other times they tended to avoid any figural expression. This phenomenon was hitherto looked at only against the background of the religious law, even though the latter does not prohibit two-dimensional figural art at any time. The present paper approaches the appearance of Jewish figural painting, on the one hand, and the lack of it at certain times, on the other, in the light of varying degrees of acculturation and changing relations to the different Christian and Muslim environments

Illuminated Bibles and the Re-written Bible: The Place of Moses dal Castellazzo in Early Modern Book History

Der Aufsatz behandelt die Kopie einer Holzschnitt-Bilderbibel aus Venedig (Anf. 16. Jh.), die von dem jüdischen Maler/Drucker Moses dal Castellazzo hergestellt wurde. Anhand einer Untersuchung des frühen hebräischen Buchdrucks wird gezeigt, wie Moses sein Projekt konzepierte, so dass es an ein breites Publikum verkauft werden konnte