COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
The Margins of the Marginalized: Illumination in Medieval Jewish Manuscripts and Their Scholarly Merit
Creator:
Natale, Deanna
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“European art of the Middle Ages has become a hallmark of today’s society. From churches to tapestries, this art has a firm foothold in both pop culture and scholarly study. However, though it is well-known, Christian art has dominated the limelight of European medieval art. Islamic art has also risen to prominence, given its dominance in the Middle East and its history in Spain, but it still has yet to reach the level of omnipresence possessed by Christian art. After all the attention paid to Christian and Islamic art, medieval Jewish art has unfairly fallen by the wayside. Nothing exemplifies medieval art more than illuminated manuscripts, and the People of the Book were no exception. Forbidden from creating graven images, Torah scrolls used in service are indeed plain text. However, plenty of other types of books were not intended for public worship and therefore illustrations would not be considered graven images. There are no better examples of this than Haggadot manuscripts, made solely for home use during the Passover celebration and occasionally commissioned to include luxurious illustrations. Not only were these manuscripts made to the same standards as Christian manuscripts, but the distinct subgroups of Jewish people that developed in Europe can be seen reflected in their manuscript decoration. This research project explores these distinctions, as well as the cultural significance and scholarly merit of Jewish manuscripts with a particular focus on Haggadot manuscripts.” –Abstract
Keywords: Ashkenazi Haggadah, The, Ashkenazic Jews, Birds’ Head Haggadah, carpet pages, Golden Haggadah, Haggadot, micrography, Prato Haggadah, Sarajevo Haggadah, Sephardic Jews.
Keywords: Ashkenazi Haggadah, The, Ashkenazic Jews, Birds’ Head Haggadah, carpet pages, Golden Haggadah, Haggadot, micrography, Prato Haggadah, Sarajevo Haggadah, Sephardic Jews.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2024-05
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 55 pages, color illustrations)