The problem of Jewish figurative art: Pictures to the Bible http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:472253
Beginning of Jewish figurative art in the Dura Europos Synagogue: Representation of Ezekiel’s vision of the resurrection of the dead under the influence of Roman-Greek trichotomic anthropology (man consisting of soma, pneuma and psyche)
After an interruption of several centuries figurative art reappears in Judaism in the 13th century, some of its themes influenced by Christian art, others independent thereof: (representations of Jewish traditions; topics induced by anti-Christian polemics).
Arba’a Turim from Mantua, Italy, 15th century (Vatican, cod. Ross 555, fol. 220r): Depiction of a wedding scene to illustrate a text section about marriage law. The illustration comes from a Christian painter and reflects the fact that Jews shared the taste of those in their Christian environment.
Italian Psalter in Parma (Biblioteca palatina, MS Parm3236, fol. 2r): margin illustration with putti and birds and an initial panel with a bust portrait of David.
Last quarter of the 15th century: introduction of the Hebrew printing press first in Italy (Soncino). The margin ornamentations come from the surrounding culture (vines, putti, wild animals).
In addition to these samples of contemporary taste in marginal ornaments one can also see the practice of figurative art in the wood block picture Bible of Moses dal Castellazzo (Venice, 1521). Dal Castellazzo used Christian Bibles with wood blocks as models (Cologne Bible, block books, Schedel’s Chronicle of the World), as well as older Christian manuscripts.
During the 16th century the printed medium was also used for the production of illustrated Haggadot (Mantua Haggadah, 1560, Venetian Haggadah, 1609). These also reflect the taste of the Christian surroundings.
During the 16th century Jewish culture is stronger in Italy than to the North of the Alps, where Prague Haggadah was printed in 1526.
These early modern woodblock Haggadot use medieval models from Jewish book illustrations and bring them together with elements (mainly ornamental) of the surrounding Renaissance culture.
From the beginning of the 17th century the cultural centre for Jewish book illumination moved to Amsterdam. This is where the 1690 Amsterdam copper plate engraving Haggadah was produced, using Matthias Merian’s 1627 copper plate engraving Bible as a model. It became particularly popular within the Christian community. The ornamentation of the Amsterdam Haggadah uses biblical scenes, relevant to the order of the Haggadah. The ritual scenes however convey biblical compositions and translate them into illustrations of Jewish rituals. In a second edition (1712) the repertoire of depictions of rituals was even extended.
Baroque manuscripts: see ("Jewish Baroque illustration") http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:474484 and ("Jewish Baroque Illumination") http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:474519
(Translator: Joan Avery)
The Corresponding illustrations, selected by the Center of Jewish Art (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), can be found here: http://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail_object/o:525995
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