Hebrew Bible fragment with micrographic figures
Type:
Bibles
Date:
Thirteenth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Hungary
Medium:
Parchment
Dimensions:
35.5 cm × 21.4 cm
Description:
On this parchment fragment cut from a Bible codex, micrographic Hebrew writing outlines the forms of Eve and Adam, the serpent, birds, and foliage in the Garden of Eden (only Adam's upraised hand is preserved). Eve holds a pomegranate. The figures evoke the text on the page, the opening of the book of Chronicles, which begins "Adam, Seth, Enoch" and continues with Noah's sons and descendants. Adam (אדם) is the large Hebrew word just below the figures. The biblical page, originally with three columns of text, was later reused in the binding of an unknown book, which accounts for its preservation.
Figural micrography, a distinctively Jewish art form, appears in tenth-century manuscripts but is probably earlier. It was likely inspired by Islamicate arts, in which calligraphy is an important decorative feature. The manuscript may have been made in Buda (now Budapest), Hungary, where it is now housed.
Figural micrography, a distinctively Jewish art form, appears in tenth-century manuscripts but is probably earlier. It was likely inspired by Islamicate arts, in which calligraphy is an important decorative feature. The manuscript may have been made in Buda (now Budapest), Hungary, where it is now housed.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
8,
9
Repository and Online Resources:
• The page is in the Magyar Zsidó Múzeum és Levéltár (Hungarian Jewish Archives) housed in the Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest, no. 64.633.
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
