Img. ID: 19195

The unique combination of Sodom's destruction with Abram, Sarai and Lot’s departure from Haran in our illustration stems from Rashi's commentary on Parashat Lekh-Lecha. At the beginning Rashi elaborates on God's order: "Get thee out of thy country" (Gen. 12:1; fol. 9v). Then the commentary proceeds with the separation between Lot and Abram, and Lot's residence in "Sodom before God destroyed it", although he was aware that its people were evil (fol. 10v, columns 2, 3). Using the iconography of Lot and his family leaving Sodom in haste prompted by two angels (Gen. 19:16; Parashat Vayera), our artist changed it slightly: instead of Lot's daughters, a youth appears, and Lot's angel pulls Abram, Lot and Sarai out of Haran, alluding to God's command (fig. 1). The story of Sodom (Gen. 19) is not included in Parashat Lekh-Lecha. Fig. 1: Abraham leaving Haran for Canaan and the destruction of Sodom Munich Rashi's Commentary on the Bible Munich, BSB 5, I:9v Metzger (Metzger 1974, p. 542) rejects the interpretation of this scene as Lot departing from Sodom and suggests the artist was requested to depict the departure of Abram using as a model the scene concerning Lot, with some changes. Klemm (1998, p. 200) interprets the scene as the destruction of Sodom and the departure of Lot from the town led by an angel. Frojmovic (2008, pp. 296, 301) includes the scene (labelled as ‘The Destruction of Sodom’) in a list of misplaced scenes and factual errors. A depiction of Abram, Sarai and Lot leaving Haran is found in a Mosan Miniature Cycle of c.1150 from Liège or Stavelot (fig. 2). The three protagonists, inscribed by a 12th-century hand, are accompanied by servants and "all their substance that they had gathered" (Gen. 12:5), without a prompting angel. Fig. 2: Avram, Sarai and Lot leaving Haran Mosan Miniature Cycle Liège or Stavelot c.1150, fol. 1 Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett inv. no. 78 A 6, fol. 1 (Cf. I:21v, fig. 1) (Klemm 1973, fig. 1) The iconography of Lot and his family being rescued from Sodom while the city is being destroyed (fig. 1) appears in Christian illustrations, sometimes in several scenes, for example in the Book of Hours, Cursus Sanctae Mariae of Hedwig of Silesia from Bamberg (?) 1204–1219 (fig. 3). In the lower register is the destruction while Lot and one daughter escape and his wife turns into a pillar of salt. Fig. 1: Abraham leaving Haran for Canaan Fig. 3: Abraham leaving Haran for Canaan and the destruction of Sodom and the destruction of Sodom Munich Rashi's Commentary on the Bible Book of Hours of Hedwig of Silesia Munich, BSB 5, I:9v Germany, Bamberg (?) 1204-1219 New York, PML, M.739, fol. 11, lower register http://corsair.morganlibrary.org Another destruction of Sodom and flight of Lot, his wife and one daughter are depicted in a glossed illuminated Psalter from north-east France, c.1200 (fig. 4). Fig. 4: The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the flight of Lot from Sodom The Morgan Psalter North-east France, c.1200 New York, PML M.338, fol. 196v (Deuchler 1967, figs. 146-47) This scene is divided into two panels relating to Psalm 50 (Vulg. 49) showing in one the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and in the other the flight of Lot led by two angels. This is contrary to our illustration which conflates two episodes from two different parashot: Lekh-Lecha and Vayera. In the North French Hebrew Miscellany of c.1280, two panels are dedicated to the Sodom episode: one shows two angels burning the city (fig. 5), while the other portrays Lot and his family escaping from Sodom with two winged angels, each taking one daughter by the hand (fig. 6). On the right Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Fig. 5: The destruction of Sodom Fig. 6: Lot, his two daughters and wife The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 119 London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 119v (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 85) (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, pp. 85-86) On a further two folios of the same Miscellany the scene is repeated, though the iconography is different and does not include angels. In the first image the burning Sodom is devoured by the mouth of a dragon (fig. 7); in the second (fig. 8) Lot is taking one of his daughters by the hand and the other follows them, while his wife becomes a pillar of salt. Fig. 7: The destruction of Sodom Fig. 8: Lot and his wife The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 740v London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 741 (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 106) (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 106)

Fig. 1: Abraham leaving Haran for Canaan and the destruction of Sodom                       Munich Rashi's Commentary on the Bible Munich, BSB 5, I:9v	Fig. 2: Avram, Sarai andLotleaving Haran Mosan Miniature Cycle Liège or Stavelot c.1150, fol. 1 Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett inv. no.78 A6, fol. 1 (Cf. I:21v, fig. 1) (Klemm 1973, fig. 1)
Fig. 3: Abraham leavingHaranfor Canaan and the destruction of Sodom Book of Hours of Hedwig of SilesiaGermany, Bamberg (?) 1204-1219New York, PML, M.739, fol. 11, lower register http://corsair.morganlibrary.org
Fig. 4: The destruction ofSodomandGomorrah The Morgan Psalter North-east France, c.1200                      New York, PML M.338, fol. 196v  (Deuchler 1967, figs. 146-47)	Fig. 4a: The flight of Lot fromSodom           The Morgan Psalter North-east France, c.1200                      New York, PML M.338, fol. 196v  (Deuchler 1967, figs. 146-47)
Fig. 5: The destruction ofSodom The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280                                    London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 119 (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 85)	Fig. 6:Lot, his two daughters and wife The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 119v (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, pp. 85-86)
Fig. 7: The destruction of Sodom The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280 London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 740v (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 106)	Fig. 8: Lot and his wife The North French Hebrew Miscellany, c.1280  London, BL Add. 11639, fol. 741 (Schonfield, facsimile 2003, p. 106)