Obj. ID: 1204
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts Vatican French Bible, France ?, last third of 13th c.
sub-set tree: 
Vellum, I 573 II (574 1) leaves, 380 x 265mm, text space 250 x 160mm, height of text with massorah (fols. 2-239v, 466v-500) 320-330mm. Written in square Ashkenazi script, in brown ink. 30 lines per page, in 2 columns, 3 on top 5 on bottom for massorah magna. Ruling by stylus and in ink 3 30 (unnoticeable) 5 horizontal and 2 3 2 vertical lines per page. Pricking is noticeable in the upper, outer and lower margins. 74 quires of 8 leaves, except for IX&&4&&, XIX&&10&&, XXX&&4&&, LIII&&6&&, LXI&&10&&, LXIV&&4&&, LXXIV&&1&&. Catchwords appear in the lower left-hand corner of the last verso of each quire. Fols. 150v-151, 235, 282v-283, 354v-355, 414v-415, 500v are blank (when a book and a quire end at the same time). The names of the books are written in Latin by the same hand which numerated the manuscript. Hebrew numeration to Psalms by the scribe and later hands.
A. Initial words: the names of some of the books are written in large letters surrounded by a line or by dots ( e.g. fols.: 1v- Genesis, 38v- Exodus, 69v-Leviticus, 91v- Numbers, 122v- Deutronomy, 171- Judges, 190- Samuel, 235v- Kings.).
B. Micrography for the massorah magna: in various geometrical or as animal shapes. Among the geometrical forms written in the margins are zigzag (e.g. fols.: 1v, 2, 4, 10, 17, 26, 54, 117v, 230, 468v, 490v), Wavy line (fols.: 2, 49v, 58, 61v, 478), roundels (fols.: 3v 60v, 84v), lozenges (fols.: 3v, 30, 183v, 468v, 492), triangles, sometimes pointed in between the two columns ( fols.: 8v, 30, 56v, 123v, 175, 204, 469v), semi circles (fols.: 10v, 32, 52, 220, 469, 493). Among the micrographic animals are 0ong-necked birds (fols.: 2, 5, 15, 28v, 62v, 67v, 68, 81, 100v, 109v), long-necked quadrapeds (fols. 5v, 24, 30v, 45, 69, 70, 82, 101), a full body bird ( fols. 12v, 42v), a full body unidentified animal ( fol. 90v), a long-tailed dragon ( fols.: 46, 64), human face (fol. 86v). In all cases facial features were added to the body shaped by micrography. There also an axe shape (fols.: 4v, 45, 141), fleur de lys (fols: 5v, 25) a tree (fol. 31), a key (fol. 97), and some unidentified shapes (fols. 12, 100, 108, 181).