Illustrated Omer Calendar, Dov Margolioth, Germany (ca. 1830)
Micrography, the scribal practice of employing minuscule script to
create abstract shapes or figurative designs, is an art form that has
been used by Jews for over a millennium. This intricate decorative
technique was first practiced in Egypt and the Land of Israel in the
tenth century. In the centuries following the advent of printing,
micrography continued to be used to decorate ketubbot (marriage
contracts) and wall hangings. This outstanding example of the
micrographers’ art comprises the entire text of four books of the Hebrew
Bible (Esther, Ruth, Song of Songs and Lamentations) as well as an Omer
Calendar for enumerating the days between Passover and Shavuot. In
addition to a profusion of flora and fauna, four biblical characters are
portrayed. At left are Queen Esther and her servant Hatakh, while at
right are King Solomon and Bithia (Batya), the daughter of Pharaoh. It is signed Dov Margolioth, son of Rabbi Asher Selig of Szczebrzeszyn, who completed the work in 1830 in Bonn, Germany.
