Illuminating in Micrography

In Illuminating in Micrography, Dalia-Ruth Halperin analyzes the Catalan Micrography Maḥzor, a fourteenth-century Barcelonan manuscript, in depth revealing the close association between the micrography full-page panel images and the texts used to create them, which reflect a Jewish theosophical-theurgical cycle.

Abbreviations
ix List of Illustrations and Photo Credits
xi A Note on Transliterations and Translations
xxiii Manuscripts Cited and Their Abbreviations
xxv Piyyut: Terms, Translations, and Short Explanations
xxxv Preface
xli Introduction
1 1 The Art of Micrography and Its Research Methodology
5 The Masorah
5 The Decoration's Forming Text
7 The Artistic Development of Micrography
9 Micrography in the Middle Ages
14 Research Survey
16 Micrography Research Methodology
18 2 The Manuscript's Material Evidence
23 Codicology
23 Writing Materials and Quire Structure
23 Perforation and Ruling Layout
26 Structural Transparency and Line Management Methods
30 Paleography
35 The Scripts Used in the Mahzor
35 Characteristics of the Scripts
37 Scribe and Micrographer
43 The Characteristics of the Scribe's Writing
46 The Semicursive Script and Its Role in Dating the Mahzor
48 3 The Text
51 The Liturgical Structure
52 The Decoration Program for the Piyyutim
56 Initial Word Panels
57 Prayer Instructions
57 Captions
57 Marginal Decorations
57 Text Analysis: Rite and Branches
60 Indications of the Mahzor's Place and Date of Production
70 4 Within the Cultural Milieu: The Scribe's Artistic Sources
79 The Decoration Plan
79 The Scribe's Artistic Sources
80 Artistic Sources from Jewish Art
81 Artistic Sources from Islamic Art
105 Artistic Sources from Latin Art
111 5 Every Word Counts: Deciphering the Micrography's Text Flow
127 Scribal Copying Snares
128 The "Choreography" of the Micrography
129 Un tour de force: The Virtuosic Choreography of the Micrography
134 The Scribe's Selection of Psalms: Associations between the Text and the Iconography
139 6 Reading the Image: Envisioning the Word
149 The Marginal Decorations
149 The Full-Page Panels
164 First Quire, First Opening-fols. 2r/1v (pl. I)
182 First Quire, Second Opening-fols. 3r/2v (pl. II)
191 First Quire, Third and Fourth Opening-fols. 4r/3v and 5r/4v (pl. III and IV)
202 First Quire, Fifth Opening-fols. 6r/5v (pl. V)
212 Second Quire, First and Second Opening (Sixth and Seventh in the Cycle)-fols. 8r/7v and fols. 9r/8v (pls. VI and VII)
218 Second Quire, Third Opening (Eighth in the Cycle)-fols. 10r/9v (pl. VIII)
230 Second Quire, Fourth Opening (Ninth in the Cycle)-fols. 11r/10v (pl. IX)
234 Second Quire, Fifth Opening (Tenth in the Cycle)-fols. 12r/11v (pl. X)
242 Second Quire, Sixth Opening (Eleventh in the Cycle)-fols. 13r/12v (pl. XI)
244 Second Quire, Seventh Opening (Twelfth in the Cycle)-fols. 14r/13v (pl. XII)
246 7 The Manuscript's Tumultuous Journey through History
253 The Bindings
253 Owners' Hands
258 The First Hand
259 The Second Hand
263 The Third Hand
263 The Fourth Hand
265 The Fifth Hand
267 The Sixth Hand
268 Conclusion
271 Appendix 1. Index of Piyyutim Used in the Book
277 Appendix 2. The Micrography Panels: Text Flow Tables and Diagrams
287 Bibliography
517 Index
541 Plates and Illustrations