Nathan ben Samson of Meseritsch (scribe and artist), Psalms

Nathan ben Samson of Meseritsch

1728

Printed page with Hebrew and Yiddish text in center flanked by two figures with decorative borders at top and bottom, and text wrapping around margins of page.
This elaborately decorated title page is from a book of Psalms created by the scribe Nathan ben Samson in Gross Meseritsch, Moravia (today Velké Meziříčí, Czech Republic). On the left is Aaron in his priestly garments, holding a censer, and on the right is Moses, holding the tablets of the law and a staff.

Credits

The National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, Ms. Heb. 987=8.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Creator Bio

Nathan ben Samson of Meseritsch

18th Century

Nathan ben Samson of Gross Meseritsch, Moravia (today Velké Meziříčí, Czech Republic), was one of the most prolific Jewish scribes and artists of the revival of Hebrew book illumination that took place in Central Europe during the eighteenth century. He copied and illustrated an estimated twenty-five manuscripts between 1722 and 1739.

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Jewish Printing and Book Culture, 1500–1750

Jewish printing unified far-flung communities by standardizing religious texts, created textual uniformity, and enabled vernacular translations, and facilitated the spread of Jewish texts and knowledge. 

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Early Modern Jewish Languages (1500–1750)

As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.

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