Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink

Marc Michael Epstein is the Mattie M. Paschall (1899) and Norman Davis Chair of Religion and Visual Culture at Vassar College. His most recent book, The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination, was named one of the best books of 2011 by the Times Literary Supplement. Eva Frojmovic is lecturer in the history of art at the University of Leeds. Jenna Siman Jacobs is curatorial manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Hartley Lachter is the Berman Chair in Jewish Studies at Lehigh University. Shalom Sabar is professor of folklore and the arts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Raymond P. Scheindlin is professor of medieval Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Agnes Vet? teaches religion at Vassar College. Susan Vick is curator of Judaica at Goldsmith Museum of Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore and associate professor of art history at the University of Maryland. Barbara Wolff is a New York-based illuminator of manuscripts using medieval methods. Diane Wolfthal is the David and Caroline Minter Chair in the Humanities at Rice University.

Winner of the 2015 National Jewish Book Award in Visual Arts, Jewish Book Council Finalist for the 2015 National Jewish Book Award in Scholarship (Nahum M. Sarna Memorial Award), Jewish Book Council Honorable Mention for the 2016 PROSE Award in Art History & Criticism, Association of American Publishers "The gorgeously illustrated volume Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts, edited by Marc Epstein, should challenge almost all assumptions about Jewish identity, difference, or art. Its twelve instructive chapters and 287 full-color images survey a stunning array of illustrated books made for Jews from the twelfth to the twenty-first centuries."--Sara Lipton, New York Review of Books "It is gratifying to welcome a book that celebrates Jewish manuscript illumination with such erudition and passion."--Ilana Tahan, Times Literary Supplement "This magnificent book gathers 278 color illustrations of the most celebrated ancient and modern illuminated Jewish manuscripts and a comprehensive scholarly history of illuminated manuscripts."--Zelda Shluker, Hadassah "An accessible and richly informative introduction to these works, suggesting that although no actual medieval Jewish library exists, we may yet imagine one."--Christopher Lyon, Bookforum "A book that successfully paints both a broad and detailed landscape. The text is clearly written, and the approximately three hundred illustrations are well chosen, beautifully reproduced, and smartly laid out on the printed page... Epstein's theories are intriguing and are certain to pique the interest of his readers. Perhaps more importantly for most potential readers, Skies of Parchmentreflects the essence and beauty of its subject matter."--Jewish Book Council "A gifted communicator with an infectious enthusiasm for his material, Epstein is a master of visual analysis."--Julie A. Harris, Medieval Encounters "[A] sumptuous, magnificent book."--Ephraim Nissan, Philology

• Acknowledgments vii 1Introduction: For the Love of Books 1 Marc Michael Epstein 2People of the Book/Books of the People: Illuminating the Canon 19 Hartley Lachter with Marc Michael Epstein 3Parchments and Palimpsests: Scribe, Illuminator, Patron, Audience 29 Marc Michael Epstein Focus: The Illuminated Page: Materials, Methods, and Techniques Barbara Wolff 40 4Mapping the Territory: 'Arb'ah Kanfot Ha'arez-The Four Corners of the Medieval Jewish World 47 Erez Yisrael/The Land of Israel: Homeland and Center Marc Michael Epstein 47 Italia/Italy: The First Western Diaspora Marc Michael Epstein 55 Ashkenaz: Franco-Germany, England, Central and East Europe Eva Frojmovic with Marc Michael Epstein 63 Sepharad and 'Arav: Spain and the Middle East Raymond P. Scheindlin with Marc Michael Epstein 72 The Problem of "National Style" Eva Frojmovic with Marc Michael Epstein 77 5No Graven Image: Permitted Depictions, Forbidden Depictions, and Creative Solutions 89 Eva Frojmovic and Marc Michael Epstein Focus: Exploring the Mystery of the Birds' Head Haggadah Marc Michael Epstein 97 6Iconography: Telling the Story 105 Marc Michael Epstein Geographical Distinctions 105 Approaches to the Biblical Narrative 122 7Dialogue and Disputation: Cultural Negotiation 145 Marc Michael Epstein Under Edom 145 Under Ishmael 153 8This World: Centered on the Home-Women, Marriage, and the Family 159 Shalom Sabar Focus: "Glimpses of Jewish Life": Reality or Illusion? Marc Michael Epstein 175 Focus: "Incidental Details": Margins and Meaning Marc Michael Epstein 182 Focus: "Sacred and Profane": Naked Ladies in the Haggadah? Agnes Veto 188 9Other Worlds: Fantastic Horizons and Unseen Universes 193 Hartley Lachter with Marc Michael Epstein 10Zion and Jerusalem: "The Sum of All Beauty, the Joy of All the Earth" 205 Shalom Sabar 11In the Royal Court: Jewish Illumination in an Age of Printing 215 Marc Michael Epstein Focus: A Yiddish Minhagim Manuscript 225 Diane Wolfthal 12Illuminating the Present: Contemporary Jewish Illumination 229 Susan Vick with Marc Michael Epstein 13Continuing the Journey: Annotated Bibliography and Manuscript Descriptions 255 Jenna Siman Jacobs with Marc Michael Epstein Manuscripts and Facsimiles 255 Surveys 261 Collection Surveys and Exhibition Catalogues 263 Studies 265 Contributor Biographies 267 Index 269 Photo Credits 276