A singular figurative bas-de-page panel executed in micrography at the end of the Book of Ecclesiastes appears in Vatican Urb. Ebr. 1 fol. 817r, dated to 1294 in the German Lands. The panel depicts a complete hunt scene with a mounted... more
A singular figurative bas-de-page panel executed in micrography at the end of the Book of Ecclesiastes appears in Vatican Urb. Ebr. 1 fol. 817r, dated to 1294 in the German Lands. The panel depicts a complete hunt scene with a mounted figure blowing a horn, a falcon, and four hounds. Elsewhere, I have argued that mounted falconers executed in figured micrography are a representation of the Messiah. Reading the forming micrography in its entirety reveals the utilized text is an Okhla we’Okhla compilation that has no relevance to the main text. Analyzing the choice text in regards to the iconographical content indicates not only an intricate and learned manipulation by the scribe but also illuminates an encapsulated message of repent and redemption designed to engage the reader in visual and textual deciphering regarding the coming redemption of Israel.
