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Harley MS 1528
- Record Id:
- 040-003948061
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 040-003948061
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100124336761.0x000001
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100145085811.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Harley MS 1528
- Title:
-
The 'Harley Catalan Bible'.
תנ"ך
Tana"kh
Bible
- Scope & Content:
-
Language: Hebrew
Bible with masorah magna and parva (the 'Harley Catalan Bible').
Fols 1r-424v
Tana"kh.
תנ"ך
Decoration note: Full page miniatures in colours and gold of Temple implements. (Fols 7v, 8r)
Decoration note: 12 full-page arcades in colours. (Fols 1v, 2r, 2v, 3r, 3v, 4r, 4v, 7r, 8v, 9r, 9v, 10r)
Decoration note: Masorah in micrographic design.
Fols 1v-10r
Masoretic lists.
Fols 11v-36v
Genesis.
Fols 36v-58r
Exodus.
Fols 58r-73r
Leviticus.
Fols 73r-94r
Numbers.
Fols 94r-113v
Deuteronomy.
Fols 113v-127r
Joshua.
Fols 127r-140v
Judges.
Fols 140v-172v
Samuel.
Note: 2Samuel starts on folio 158r.
Fols 172v-206r
Kings.
Note: 2Kings starts on folio 190r.
Fols 206r-229r
Isaiah.
Fols 229r-260r
Jeremiah.
Fols 260r-287r
Ezekiel.
Fols 287r-290v
Hosea.
Fols 290v-292r
Joel.
Fols 292r-294v
Amos.
Fols 294v-295r
Obadiah.
Fols 295r-296r
Jonah.
Fols 296r-298r
Micah.
Fols 298r-299r
Nahum.
Fols 299r-300r
Habakkuk.
Fols 300r-301r
Zephaniah.
Fols 301r-302r
Haggai.
Fols 302r-306r
Zechariah.
Fols 306r-307v
Malachi.
Fols 307v-309r
Ruth.
Fols 309r-336v
Psalms.
Fols 336v-347r
Job.
Fols 347r-356r
Proverbs.
Fols 356r-359v
Ecclesiastes.
Fols 359v-361r
Song of Songs.
Fols 361r-363v
Lamentations.
Fols 363v-371v
Daniel.
Fols 371v-376r
Esther.
Fols 376r-389r
Ezra.
Note: Nehemiah starts on folio 381v.
Fols 389r-422v
Chronicles.
Note: 2Chron. starts on folio 404r.
Fols 422v-424v
Masoretic lists.
Note: Folios 423-424 contain a list of Hafṭarot.
Tana"kh
Bible with masorah magna and parva (the 'Harley Catalan Bible')
Decorations
Miniature: folio 7v, 8r: Full page miniatures in colours and gold of Temple implements Border:folio 1v, 2r, 2v, 3r, 3v, 4r, 4v, 7r, 8v, 9r, 9v, 10r: 12 full-page arcades in coloursParatext: Masorah in micrographic design
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Harley Collection
Hebrew Manuscripts Digitisation Project - Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "040-003948061", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 1528: The 'Harley Catalan Bible'.תנ'ךTana'khBible" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002045828
040-003948061 - Is part of:
- Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MS 1528 : The 'Harley Catalan Bible'.תנ"ךTana"khBible - Hierarchy:
- 032-002045828[7871]/040-003948061
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
- 424 folios
- Digitised Content:
- http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100145085811.0x000001 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-

- Languages:
- Hebrew
- Scripts:
- Hebrew
- Start Date:
- 1325
- End Date:
- 1374
- Date Range:
- 1325-1374
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
- Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
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- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Parchment codex of the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 14th century.
424 folios. Dimensions (leaf): 350 x 270 mm. Dimensions (written): 240 x 185 mm.
Format: codex. Material: parchment.
Foliation: 424 folios (+ 2 unfoliated older paper flyleaves at the beginning and at the end).
Collation: 57 quires: ifour (folios 1-4), ii2 (folios 5-6), iiifour (folios 7-10), iv-lv8 (folios 11-418), lvifour (folios 419-422), lviitwo (folios 423-424). Instead of catchwords, there is a quire numbering in Hebrew characters.
Layout: Columns: 3. Ruled lines: 32. Written lines: 32. Watermark, of a lamb holding a cross (folio [ii recto]) and initials of JW (folio [425r]), of James Whatman II, paper maker (1764-1793). Gilt edges. Foliation is written on the verso side of the leaves. Hebrew foliation from folio 11. Hair side and flesh side are distinguishable. Ruling is sometimes visible. Numerous decorations: full page miniatures in colours and gold of Temple implements, 12 full-page arcades in colours, masorah in micrographic design. Masorah magna occupies two lines at the top and three lines at the bottom of each page. It is also written in the outer margin in the form of ornamental figures, mostly a candlestick. Joshua, Isaiah, Nahum, Habakuk, Haggai, Ruth and Esther begin a new column, and Zechariah begins a new leaf.
Additions: Illegible inscription in Latin characters (folio 374r).
Hand note: Hebrew.
Number of hands: 2.
Script: Sefardi square script of second or third quarter of 14th century, punctuated. Two folios in unpunctuated Ashkenazi square script. Fols 5r-6v: - written in unpunctuated Ashkenazi square script.
Binding: Post-1600. Brown leather binding with the initials 'MB' (Museum Britannicum). Spine: 'Bible. Hebrew. Brit. Mus. Harley 1528.'
Dimensions [leaf]: 350x270mm
Dimensions [written]: 240x185mm
Parchment codex of the second or third quarter of 14th century
Script (summary): Sefardi square script of second or third quarter of 14th century, punctuated. Two folios in unpunctuated Ashkenazi square script
Script: folios 5r - 6v - written in unpunctuated Ashkenazi square script
Layout: Columns: 3. Ruled lines: 32. Written lines: 32. Watermark, of a lamb holding a cross (folio [ii recto]) and initials of JW (folio [425r]), of James Whatman II, paper maker (1764-1793). Gilt edges. Foliation is written on the verso side of the leaves. Hebrew foliation from folio 11. Hair side and flesh side are distinguishable. Ruling is sometimes visible. Numerous decorations: full page miniatures in colours and gold of Temple implements, 12 full-page arcades in colours, masorah in micrographic design. Masorah magna occupies two lines at the top and three lines at the bottom of each page. It is also written in the outer margin in the form of ornamental figures, mostly a candlestick. Joshua, Isaiah, Nahum, Habakuk, Haggai, Ruth and Esther begin a new column, and Zechariah begins a new leaf
Collation: 57 quires: ifour (folios 1-4), ii2 (folios 5-6), iiifour (folios 7-10), iv-lv8 (folios 11-418), lvifour (folios 419-422), lviitwo (folios 423-424). Instead of catchwords, there is a quire numbering in Hebrew characters
Foliation: 424 folios (+ 2 unfoliated older paper flyleaves at the beginning and at the end)
Binding: Post-1600. Brown leather binding with the initials 'MB' (presumably Margaret Bentinck). Spine: 'Bible. Hebrew. Brit. Mus. Harley 1528.'
Additions: David Finzi ben Menahem Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): inscribed with his name (folio 424r 424r). Eliyaḳim ben Hosheʿa Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): sold it to Yaʿaḳov ben Avraham of Sforno (owner) on Tuesday 29 April 5271(1511) (folio 11r). Illegible inscription in Latin characters (folio 374r). Jacob Geraldino (censor), censor: inscribed with his name, 12 December 1555 (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969, page 104. Luigi da Bologna (censor), a converted Jew working for the Inquisition as censor (fl. 1590-1609): inscribed with his name as censor: 'Visto per mi Fra Luigi da Bologna del 1602 in Reggio' (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969, page 104
Format: Codex
Material: Parchment
- Custodial History:
-
Provenance: David Finzi ben Menahem Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): inscribed with his name (folio 424r 424r). Eliyaḳim ben Hosheʿa Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): sold it to Yaʿaḳov ben Avraham of Sforno (owner) on Tuesday29 April 5271 (1511) (folio 11r). Jacob Geraldino (censor), censor: inscribed with his name, 12 December 1555 (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books ... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969. page 104. Luigi da Bologna (censor), a converted Jew working for the Inquisition as censor (active at the end of the sixteenth, beginning of seventeenth century): inscribed with his name as censor: 'Visto per mi Fra Luigi da Bologna del 1602 in Reggio' (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books ... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969. page 104.
Place of origin: Spain, N.E. (Catalonia).
- Source of Acquisition:
-
Acquisition: The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (owner) (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (owner) (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts. Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née Holles (owner) (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (owner) (b. 1715, d.1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.
Date of origin: Last quarter of the 14th century - 1st quarter of the 15th century.
1753 The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts. Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d.1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library
- Administrative Context:
-
Provenance: David Finzi ben Menahem Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): inscribed with his name (folio 424r 424r). Eliyaḳim ben Hosheʿa Finzi (owner) (or Panzi?): sold it to Yaʿaḳov ben Avraham of Sforno (owner) on Tuesday29 April 5271 (1511) (folio 11r). Jacob Geraldino (censor), censor: inscribed with his name, 12 December 1555 (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books ... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969. page 104. Luigi da Bologna (censor), a converted Jew working for the Inquisition as censor (active at the end of the sixteenth, beginning of seventeenth century): inscribed with his name as censor: 'Visto per mi Fra Luigi da Bologna del 1602 in Reggio' (folio 422v); see William POPPER. The Censorship of Hebrew Books ... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969. page 104.
Date of origin: Last quarter of the 14th century - 1st quarter of the 15th century.
Origin: 1325-1374
Spain, N.E. (Catalonia)
- Finding Aids:
-
Record history: Manuscript description based on Margoliouth, G.: Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1965.
For a more detailed catalogue entry see
British Museum. Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts. Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum. By G. Margoliouth, Etc. (pt. 4. Introduction, Indexes, Brief Descriptions of Accessions and Addenda and Corrigenda. By J. Leveen.) [The Preface to the Reprinted Edition Signed: K. B. Gardner.]. London-77, 1965: number.57
- Publications:
-
George Margoliouth, Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum., 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1899-1935; vols I-III repr. 1965); IV, Introduction, Indexes, ed. by Jacob Leveen (London: British Museum, 1977), no. 57.
Helen Rosenau, Vision of the Temple: The Image of the Temple of Jerusalem in Judaism and Christianity. (London: Oreska Books, 1979), figs 36, 37.
Bezalel Narkiss, Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts in the British Isles: a Catalogue Raisonne´.The Spanish and Portuguese Manuscripts, 2 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982), I, no. 20; II, figs 324-27.
Thérèse and Mendel Metzger, Jewish Life in the Middle Ages: Illuminated Hebrew Manuscripts of the Thirteenth to the Sixteenth Centuries. (New York: Alpine Fine Arts Collection, 1982), p. 304.
Katrin Kogman-Appel, Jewish Book ArtBetween Islam and Christianity: the Decoration of Hebrew Bibles in Medieval Spain. (Lieden: Brill, 2004), pp. 144-69.
Ilana Tahan, Hebrew Manuscripts: The Power of Script and Image. (London, British Library, 2007), pp. 54-55.
William POPPER. 'The Censorship of Hebrew Books ... Introduction by Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger.'New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1969.
Source: Manuscript description based on Margoliouth, G.: Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1965.
Credit: The Polonsky Foundation Catalogue of Digitised Hebrew Manuscripts.
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)
- Notes:
- Credit: The Polonsky Foundation Catalogue of Digitised Hebrew Manuscripts.