Lisbon Bible: 1482. British Library Or. 2626

Tel Aviv: Nahar Miskal, 1988. Facsimile edition. Hardcover. vg- to near fine. Large quarto. 21 English intro pages, 18 Hebrew intro pages, 184 double facsimile pages (368pp). Original blind-tooled brown leather with gold lettering on front cover and spine. Facsimile of the beautifully decorated Lisbon Bible, a unique medieval Hebrew manuscript that was completed in 1482. Copied and illuminated in elaborate micrographic form by Samuel Ibn Mussa (The Scribe) for Joseph aI-Hakim of Lisbon, the original manuscript has been part of the British Library collection since 1882. The 15th century was the Golden Age of Iberian Jewry, and the Lisbon Bible is considered one of the finest examples of Jewish art produced during this flourishing period. This is the first manuscript to display the elaborate ornamental technique used in the Lisbon studios. The Bible is illuminated in a rich array of colors and burnished gold. The intricate filigree of the drawings and border decorations includes a number of motifs: plants, trees, flowers, peacocks, owls, dragons. The highly legible and vocalized script displays the scribe's distinct, individual style, in the fines Sephardi tradition. The text is masorated in both detailed and abbreviated form, and the chapter headings for the 51 weekly portions of the Law are exquisitely decorated. One of the most beautiful features of this Bible is the special section that lists the 613 commandments in their order of appearance in the Pentateuch. The publishers of this facsimile edition of the Lisbon Bible employed special photographic and printing techniques to ensure an exact duplication of all the richness and detail of the original. The end result is a sumptuously printed bible that is as legible and lavish today as when it was so painstakingly produced 500 years ago. The learned introduction was specially commissioned from Gabrielle Sed-Rajna of the Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes, Paris. Introduction in English, text in Hebrew. Included are a full glossy page double sided insert of The Lisbon Bible advertisement with images on front and back and a 1 page hand-typed description, provenance and general history of the Lisbon Bible and the Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts. Binding slightly shaken with starting at various points in the book block. Minor to light bumping and rubbing to corners. Water stains and smudges along the top and bottom edges of the book block. Binding in good, interior in good+ condition overall.