With ornate decorations, the Sanaa Pentateuch is an illustrated Hebrew manuscript from Sanaa, Yemen, and dates to 1469. It contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This carpet page (decorative page) from the Sanaa Pentateuch illustrates figural, floral, and geometric patterns, including ten fish. Along with other elements on the page, the fish are examples of Hebrew micrography—the practice of creating images with miniature words instead of lines. These micrographic elements are crafted with text from the Book of Psalms. Illuminated biblical manuscripts became popular in the medieval period, with the […]
