The Rothschild Miscellany
Handwritten on vellum; brown ink, tempera, gold and silver leaf; square and semi-cursive Ashkenazic script
H: 21; W: 15.9 cm
Gift of James A. de Rothschild, London
B61.09.0803o.s.
180/051
The Rothschild Miscellany is a unique collection of 37 distinct texts: biblical and liturgical books; Rabbinic exegesis (midrash); texts on Jewish law, ethics, and philosophy; astronomy and historical legend; and even entertaining literature. With illumination on almost every leaf, this 946-page manuscript contains more than 200 detailed vignettes illustrating the text, dozens of gold and painted initial-word panels, and a variety of animal and floral ornamental depictions. Produced in a master workshop in Renaissance Italy, it represents the creative pinnacle of Hebrew manuscript painting.
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