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Illuminating in Micrography: The Catalan Micrography Mahzor-MS Heb 8 6527 in the National Library of Israel: 51
Author(s): Dalia-Ruth Halperin (Author)
- Publisher: Brill
- Publication Date: 21 Jun. 2013
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 724 pages
- ISBN-10: 9004244433
- ISBN-13: 9789004244436
Book Description
In Illuminating in Micrography, Dalia-Ruth Halperin analyzes the Catalan Micrography Maḥzor, a fourteenth-century Barcelonan manuscript in Israel’s National Library. Decorated with micrography, the Jewish scribal art typical of Bible manuscripts, this maḥzor, 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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
February 2014: The volume Illuminating in Micrography: The Catalan Micrography Mahzor-MS Heb 8°6527 in the National Library of Israel was recognized by the 2014 Eleanor Tufts Book Award committee with an honorable mention for its major contribution to medieval manuscript studies and Spanish art history overall.
“…In conclusion, Dalia-Ruth Halperin’s Illuminating in Micrography is a fascinating work that will take the reader beyond the production of the manuscript into a world of cultural exchange, where micrographic art functioned not only as an embellishment but also as a site of theosophical and theurgical reflection…Undoubtedly, this will become a reference work for those interested in micrography, Hebrew (book) art and wider aspects of medieval Jewish history and culture on the Iberian peninsula.”
Débora Marques de Matos, King’s College London,
About the Author
Dalia-Ruth Halperin, Ph.D. (2008), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has published articles on the unique Jewish art of micrography, on the complex ties between the penned texts and the images formed, and on the eschatological and kabbalistic content of such images.
