Img. ID: 262150

Triumphal arch; calendar for public reading of Torah pericopes; astronomical omens; lamb (Aries) as the zodiac sign for the month of Nisan; decorated title page: Two triumphal arches (MS I:1 and 16 - figs. 1-2): the first is the title page of the codex, the second opens the section with the order of pericope readings.

The first arch is surmounted by an attic and a relieving arch. The broad sections on either side of the attic rest on two columns on square plinths and Corinthian capitals. Within the arch is the colophon of the scribe Zvi Hirsch, written in alternating red and brown ink. The arch is decorated with various foliate and geometrical motifs.

The second arch is coloured green and red. It is composed of an entablature carried by two dark-faced bearded giants wearing flat red and green hats and red mantles. The entablature is composed of an attic above an architrave, flanked by two figures holding banners, each resting on the base of an acanthus scroll.