new article: The Earliest Known San’a Hebrew Illuminated Pentateuch, San’a, Yemen, 1206 CE (JTS L64, L64a)
Feb/110
The Jubilee Volume in honor for Prof. Yosef Tobi , entitled: Ayelet Oettinger & Danny Bar-Maoz (eds.), Mittuv Yosef, Yosef Tobi Jubilee Volume. (3 volumes). Haifa, was published and its volume II [the non Hebrew volume], pp. xviii-xlv, includes my article: The Earliest Known San’a Hebrew Illuminated Pentateuch, San’a, Yemen, 1206 CE (JTS L64, L64a).
(Pictures from the article available here).
Yemenite Hebrew Illuminated Bibles from Yemen are famous, however, those from the thirteen century were not researched yet. The aim of this article is in respect of the earliest known Illuminated Pentateuch, San’a 1206, now in the JTS, New York, L64 & L64a. I wish to shed light on its art program, from both Jewish and Islamic art in Yemen, as well as, its relationship with the art of the Cairo Geniza Community.
Although L64 & L64a are documented in the Lutzki catalog, which is the inside catalog of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, (henceforth JTS), the art program was never researched.
The Earliest Known San’a Hebrew Illuminated Pentateuch, San’a, Yemen, 1206 CE (JTS L64, L64a), is much earlier than the well known ”The San’a Pentateuch”, San’a 1469, now in The British Library, London, MS Or. 2348.
The art programs of the two were never juxtaposed and / or compared. I intend to do that in a different article.
new article: The Ostriches Pentateuch Rada’ (South Yemen) End of the Twelfth Century (JTS L66)
Feb/110
TEMA, JOURNAL OF JUDEO-YEMENITE STUDIES, No. 11, 2011, was published and includes my article: The Ostriches Pentateuch, Rada? (South Yemen) End of the Twelfth Century (JTS L66).
(Pictures from the article available here).
Ostriches are found in three Hebrew Illuminated Bibles from Yemen. Each was scribed and painted in a different town: Rada’ (רדאע), south Yemen, Aden and San’a. The fact that three different Jewish scribes in three different places in Yemen made the same art decision to paint ostriches in an Hebrew Pentateuch, clearly suggests that the idea of ostriches was important to Jews in Yemen. It is therefore not surprising that the earliest Jewish art program from Yemen showing ostriches, known today, belongs to an Hebrew Illuminated Bible. The focus and the aim of this article are to understand why.
It should be noted that only a few Hebrew Illuminated Bibles from Yemen have survived and those from the twelfth and thirteen centuries were not researched yet. Although L66 is documented in the Lutzki catalog, which is the inside catalog of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, (henceforth JTS), its art program was never researched.
If you would like to buy TEMA please contact Hagit Goodman at: hagoda@barak.net.il