FREE LECTURE: School of Music International Research Seminar Series

The Oppenheimer Siddur (prayer book) in the Oxford Bodleian Library stands out among extant dated and illuminated Hebrew manuscripts from all regions that have been classified as user-produced. Made in 1471 in Germany by an Ashkenazi scribe for his family, this small book is remarkable for the richness and quality of its artwork, excellent and varied calligraphy, and distinctive features of its iconography, including many musicians. Although it might be assumed that a manuscript with so many finely illuminated word panels was likely to have been completed in a secular workshop, analysis of this manuscript's codicological features and artwork provides a compelling case to support the hypothesis that scribe was also the artist of this prayer book. This presentation will discuss the evolution of this interdisciplinary research as a journey of discovery, from initial finding of a forgotten treasure to its exhibition debut and publication.