Drawing Secrets: Esoteric Texts and Images in Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts (Poster+Link to the Lecture) (original) (raw)
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The three-way relationship between patrons, artists, and viewers poses some crucial methodological questions that have been considered repeatedly and intensely in the recent art-historical discourse on illuminated manuscripts. If we are to decipher meanings or explicit messages of images correctly, we ought to attend first to the question of who would have determined these meanings and messages and who would have designed the overall appearance of the images and their specific features. An artistic mind aware of the full potential of the impact the visual has on any given viewer's perception, perhaps? Or a patron with a particular theological or political agenda? To whom would such messages have been addressed? Would the potential addressees only have been erudite viewers or might they have been uneducated individuals as well? Art can function as an active message bearer on the one hand or as a more passive reflector of social and cultural circumstances on the other. This paper discusses several test cases and views them in the light of recent methodological considerations in the field. It revisits a few themes that I have discussed on various occasions in the past and attempts to put them into a methodological framework that centers around two core issues: first, the three-way relationship between the patron, the artist (or rather, the illuminator), and the viewer; and second, the hierarchy of the textual and the visual when it comes to integrating works of art in the complex fabric of cultural and social life.
Hebrew Manuscripts: The Power of Script and Image
2007
The celebrated bibliographer Abu'l Faraj al-Nadim wrote once in his Kitab al-fihrist: "It is said that ugly penmanship equals sterility of culture." The lavish illustrations of Tahan's volume confirm, albeit e contrario, the validity of the dictum, while displaying with the evidence of accomplished form the fertility of Jewish culture in its most revered branch: the transmission of knowledge through the sacred medium par excellence, the book. We have witnessed in recent years a growing interest, not restricted to scholarly pursuits but extended to a broader readership, in the aesthetic dimension of the book and its visual features within Judaism. Without returning to the pioneering works of Bezalel Narkiss, it will be sufficient here to recall two very important contributions in this field, such as Benjamin Richler's, Hebrew Manuscripts. A Treasured Legacy (Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1990) and Colette Sirat, Hebrew Manuscripts of the Middle Ages, ed. and trans. Nicholas De Lange (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). What distinguishes this particular contribution from those milestones is the peculiar scope of the truly wonderful exempla chosen for this secondary display (if we take for granted that photographic reproduction of art works tends to remove from them their "aura"). All of the manuscripts presented by Tahan are in fact preserved in only one library, although one of the richest on the planet: the British Library, formerly part of the British Museum. However, the opulent collection of the British Library allows Tahan, with less than 150 splendid reproductions, to trace a well-balanced survey of the history of manuscript decoration from the early Karaite Bible manuscripts (ms. Or. 2540 attributed to the tenth century) to the Shivitis and Menorah plaques of the ms. Or. 14057, produced in India in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the main bulk of the manuscripts reproduced in this volume are medieval, as in the Middle Ages the craftsmanship of Jewish scribes and illuminators celebrated its triumphs. The policy of the British Library, especially in nineteenth century, was to extensively collect Hebrew manuscripts from any place and age, so that one can say that with the exception
Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink : Jewish illuminated manuscripts
Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink : Jewish illuminated manuscripts, 2015
"There is simply no other book like this. Enlightening, accessible, and superbly written in a clear and jargon-free style, it makes a much-needed contribution to our knowledge of Jewish visual and literary cultures. It will no doubt be a coveted volume."--Maya Balakirsky Katz, Touro College The love of books in the Jewish tradition extends back over many centuries, and the ways of interpreting those books are as myriad as the traditions themselves. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers the first full survey of Jewish illuminated manuscripts, ranging from their origins in the Middle Ages to the present day. Featuring some of the most beautiful examples of Jewish art of all time--including hand-illustrated versions of the Bible, the Haggadah, the prayer book, marriage documents, and other beloved Jewish texts--the book introduces readers to the history of these manuscripts and their interpretation. Edited by Marc Michael Epstein with contributions from leading experts, this sumptuous volume features a lively and informative text, showing how Jewish aesthetic tastes and iconography overlapped with and diverged from those of Christianity, Islam, and other traditions. Featured manuscripts were commissioned by Jews and produced by Jews and non-Jews over many centuries, and represent Eastern and Western perspectives and the views of both pietistic and liberal communities across the Diaspora, including Europe, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa. Magnificently illustrated with pages from hundreds of manuscripts, many previously unpublished or rarely seen, Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers surprising new perspectives on Jewish life, presenting the books of the People of the Book as never before. Marc Michael Epstein is the Mattie M. Paschall (1899) and Norman Davis Chair of Religion and Visual Culture at Vassar College. His most recent book, "The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination", was named one of the best books of 2011 by the "Times Literary Supplement". Eva Frojmovic is lecturer in the history of art at the University of Leeds. Jenna Siman Jacobs is curatorial manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Hartley Lachter is the Berman Chair in Jewish Studies at Lehigh University. Shalom Sabar is professor of folklore and the arts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Raymond P. Scheindlin is professor of medieval Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Ágnes Vet? teaches religion at Vassar College. Susan Vick is curator of Judaica at Goldsmith Museum of Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore and associate professor of art history at the University of Maryland. Barbara Wolff is a New York-based illuminator of manuscripts using medieval methods. Diane Wolfthal is the David and Caroline Minter Chair in the Humanities at Rice University.
The present book had been in the making for over two decades 1 and even a quick glance at the preface and the table of contents shows the sheer amount of work put into its preparation. It constitutes the mutual endeavour of researchers representing various disciplines ranging from the history of art to Jewish folklore as well as museum curators and modern day illuminators. No less important is the contribution of the libraries and individual collectors from all over the world who have shared their resources. As a result, the dissertation covers almost a millennium-long period of time and takes into consideration a wide variety of specimens: from the Hebrew Bible, halakhic codices and mystical treatises, through fables, prayer books and wedding documents up till Hebraised versions of the medieval romances.
‘Write on Three Ribs of a Sheep’: Writing Materials in Ancient and Mediaeval Jewish Magic
Jewish Manuscript Cultures: New Perspectives, ed. Irina Wandrey, 2017
Writing materials used for ancient and mediaeval Jewish magic include metals, stones, animal hides and bones, papyrus, paper, textiles, pottery and other objects. Inscribed finished products designated for magical purposes like amulets, magic bowls, gems, rings, pendants, seals and even skulls have been found. Moreover, numerous instruction texts are extant describing the process of writing and the producing and use of material artefacts. These instructions are attested in unsorted collections of various instructions as well as in applied manuals arranged in a more systematic manner. First and foremost, the fragments from the Cairo Geniza provide us with thousands of these texts. The question this paper tries to answer is whether there is a relationship between the choice of writing material and the intended purpose of the magical act. Another focus is on the correspondence between material artefacts and instruction texts.