Obj. ID: 26157
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts Nathan's Liturgical Pentateuch, Ashkenaz, 14th-15th century
The manuscript was copied by the scribe Nathan ben Eliezer, as stated in the colophon, in Germany. The text and the choice and order of the Haftarot are standard for Ashkenazi liturgical Pentateuchs. Schwarz dated the manuscript to the 15th century, but it could just as easily be attributed to the 14th century since the manuscript does not show any specific characteristics of the time of its production.
The manuscript contains only the scribal decoration for the Parashah signs.
Corrections on the margins and between the columns were, mostly, done by the scribe himself. He proofread the text before he added the catchwords. For example on fol.384 afew words were added on the inner margins, completing the missing text before the first word of this page. The catchword on fol. 383v repeats the first word of the addition.
The massorah was written after the catchwords and the decoration were done. Its lines take into account the existence of both (e.g. fol. 8v).
sub-set tree:
Material
Parchment, 467 leaves. Fly leaves???
Measurements
Full page: (246-250) x (185-190) mm |
Text space: 140 x105 mm |
Scribes
Single scribe
Schwarz (p. 12).distinguished two hands in some places of massorah parva
Columns
Mostly, the text is written in two columns, except for the songs on fols. 105-106v (the 1st Moses' Song (Exodus 15)), 378-379 (Dvora's Song (Judges 5)) and 444-446 (David's Song (2 Samuel 22)), which are written in a brick work pattern. The colophon on fol. 469, is written in one column.
Script
The text is written in square Ashkenazi script in ?
Number of lines
The text is written in 21-25 lines per page.
Ruling
The ruling is executed by plummet: 22 horizontal and 2+3+2 vertical lines. For massorah: 3+4 lines (top + bottom respectively).
Pricking
The pricking is situated in all four margins.
Quires
61 quires of 8 leaves each, except for 9 quires of 6 leaves each (X, XVIII, XXII,XXVII, XXXII, XLVII, XLIX, LVII,LXI) and quire XLI(8-3)(fols. 311, 312 and 313 are single leaves).
Catchwords
The horizontal catchwords are written in square and semi-cursive Ashkenazi script in the lower left hand corner on the final verso of each quire. Usually they are surmounted by v-shaped strokes creating a triangle (e.g. fol. 360v).
Hebrew numeration
None
Blank leaves
Fols. 315-315v.
Brown calf on wooden boards. The front and back covers and the spine are blind tooled. The front cover is tooled with six interlacing circles arranged in two rows and enclosing (from left to right) a griffin, a dear, two hybrids, an elephant bearing a castle and a lion. The back cover is divided into three rectangles enclosing (from left to right) a lioness running after a rabbit, a dog running after a dragon and acanthus scroll. The spine is divided by five double cords. Between them it is tooled with two dragons and a tiger.
I. Decorated Parashah signs: floral motifs, birds, dragons and animals (e.g. fols. 88, 113v, 119v).
II. The Massorah magna at the lower margins is written in geometrical and floral motifs such as: zigzags, lozenges, roundels, fleur-de-lis and a key (e.g. fol. 322).
III. Shaped text in geometrical forms (e.g. fol. 466v).
IV. Decorated catchwords surmounted by v-shaped strokes creating a triangle (e.g. fol. 360v).