Select manuscript from this collection: B26  B251 B253  S102  30/107

Country of Location:
Country of Location
Switzerland
Location:
Location
Zürich
Library / Collection:
Library / Collection
Braginsky Collection
Shelfmark:
Shelfmark
B252
Manuscript Title:
Manuscript Title
Minhagim ("Religious Customs")
Caption:
Caption
Parchment · 54 ff. · 19 x 13.5 cm · [Northern Italy] · [last third of the 15th century]
Language:
Language
Hebrew
Manuscript Summary:
Manuscript Summary
The book Minhagim ("Religious Customs") is attributed to Samuel of Ulm, although the authorship is not unequivocally clear. Contentwise the manuscript contains various teachings based on the views of Jacob Moellin (1360-1427). He is regarded as one of the most important spiritual authorities of the Ashkenazic world. The manuscript probably was written in the last third of the 15th century in Northern Italy, since the pen drawings can be placed in the Northern Italian tradition of that period. Several motifs from the manuscript seem to "grow" out of an ornament, such as a head with a bumpy nose and heavy eyelids or a long city wall with round towers, and are considered typical for Joel ben Simeon, the most important representative of this Northern Italian tradition of illustration. (red)
DOI (Digital Object Identifier):
DOI (Digital Object Identifier
10.5076/e-codices-bc-b-0252 (http://dx.doi.org/10.5076/e-codices-bc-b-0252)
Permanent link:
Permanent link
http://e-codices.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0252
IIIF Manifest URL:
IIIF Manifest URL
IIIF Drag-n-drop http://e-codices.ch/metadata/iiif/bc-b-0252/manifest.json
How to quote:
How to quote
Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B252: Minhagim ("Religious Customs") (http://e-codices.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0252).
Online Since:
Online Since
12/18/2014
External resources:
External resources
Rights:
Rights
Images:
(Concerning all other rights see each manuscript description and our Terms of use)
Document Type:
Document Type
Manuscript
Century:
Century
15th century
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e-codices · 11/28/2014, 16:30:39

Die Autorschaft des Buches Minhagim («Religiöse Gebräuche») ist nicht eindeutig geklärt. Die darin enthaltenen Belehrungen beruhen auf den Auffassungen von Jakob Moellin von Mainz (1360–1427), einer der grössten geistigen Autoritäten der aschkenasischen Welt. Die Zuschreibung an Samuel von Ulm beruht auf dessen Namensnennung in einer Handschrift, die vom Jews’ College in London (ms. 28.1) in den Besitz der Jesselson Foundation übergegangen ist.
Im Manuskript der Braginsky Collection finden sich sieben mit roter Tinte ausgeführte Federzeichnungen. Sie stehen in der Illustrationstradition Norditaliens im letzten Drittel des 15. Jahrhunderts. Deren bedeutendster Vertreter war Joel ben Simeon, der so bekannte Handschriften wie die Ashkenazi Haggadah (London, British Library) und die Washington Haggadah (Washington, Library of Congress) illustrierte. Beide liegen in Faksimileausgaben vor. Besonders bemerkenswert an den Federzeichnungen sind die grotesken, meist im Profil wiedergegebenen menschlichen Köpfe. Ähnlich wie in anderen Werken von Joel ben Simeon führt von einem Initialwort ausgehend ein Ornament nach unten, aus dem sich ein Kopf mit ausgeprägter Höckernase und schweren Augenlidern entwickelt (fol. 31). Auch einige andere, von diesem Künstler häufig aufgegriffene Motive finden sich im Manuskript, etwa die Hasen oder eine langgestreckte Stadtmauer mit Rundtürmen. Auf fol. 36r ist das hebräische Initialwort hoscha’ana zum Abschnitt von Hoschana rabba, dem siebten Tag des Laubhüttenfests (Sukkot), mit dem Bild eines Drachens verziert, auch dies ein bekanntes Motiv von Joel ben Simeon. In der Zeichnung am unteren Bildrand trägt ein Mann eine typische zeitgenössische Kopfbedeckung, einen cappuccio a foggia. Er steht vor einem Lesepult mit aufgeschlagenem Buch und hält in der einen Hand einen Lulaw (Palmzweig), in der anderen einen Etrog (Zitrusfrucht), die beide zu den an Sukkot dargebrachten Gaben gehören. Trotz solcher Entsprechungen lässt sich nicht mit Sicherheit feststellen, ob diese Zeichnungen tatsächlich von der Hand Joel ben Simeons stammen.

Aus: Schöne Seiten. Jüdische Schriftkultur aus der Braginsky Collection, Hrsg. von Emile Schrijver und Falk Wiesemann, Zürich 2011, S. 70.

e-codices · 11/28/2014, 16:19:28

Authorship of this book of religious customs is not entirely clear. Its teachings rely on the insights of Jacob Moellin (1360–1427) of Mainz, one of the major halakhic codifiers in the Ashkenazic world. The attribution of the work to Samuel of Ulm is based on a former Jews’ College, London, manuscript (ms. 28,1; presently in the Jesselson Foundation), in which the author is identified as such.
The Braginsky manuscript contains seven fine, red ink drawings. These are part of a tradition of scribal decoration that flourished in northern Italy in the last third of the fifteenth century. The most important representative of that tradition was Joel ben Simeon, the scribe-artist of such famous medieval Haggadot as the Ashkenazi Haggadah (London, British Library, Add. MS. 14762) and the Washington Haggadah (Washington, Library of Congress, Hebr. 1), both of which have been reproduced in facsimile editions.
Particularly striking in the manuscript are the human heads, usually depicted in profile. Suspended from an initial word panel, on folio 31, the bearded head of a man with a long bumpy nose and heavy eyelids appears in many works associated with Joel ben Simeon. Some of his most frequently rendered motifs, such as hares and large architectural structures with round towers, appear in this manuscript as well. Although the art clearly is similar to that found in manuscripts by the hand of Joel ben Simeon, it cannot be determined with certainty that he decorated this work.
On folio 36r, the initial word panel for the Hebrew word hosha’ana, at the beginning of the section dealing with Hoshanah Rabba, the seventh day of the Sukkot festival, is embellished with a depiction of a dragon. This is also a recurring motif in works by Joel ben Simeon. In the bottom margin a man, viewed in profile, wears what is known as a cappuccio a foggia. This contemporary head covering also appears in other manuscripts associated with Joel ben Simeon. Standing near a lectern on which an open book rests, the man holds a lulav (palm branch) and an oversize etrog (citron). Delicate red pen work embellishes the inner margin of this page.

From: A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 54.

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Schöne Seiten. Jüdische Schriftkultur aus der Braginsky Collection, Hrsg. von Emile Schrijver und Falk Wiesemann, Zürich 2011, S. 70-71.

A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 54-55.

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