Unicorn and Ram, from the Meshal ha-Kadmoni (Fable of the Ancients)

Isaac ben Solomon abi Sahula  (Spanish, born Castile, 1244)

Date:
Printed 1491
Culture:
Italian (Brescia)
Medium:
Woodcut in printed book
Dimensions:
Overall: 8 1/2 × 12 3/4 in. (21.5 × 32.5 cm) open
Classification:
Miscellaneous
Credit Line:
Courtesy of The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
  • Description

    Penned in 1281 by a Jewish scholar living in Spain, the Meshal ha-Kadmoni presents opinions on various subjects, as voiced by animals. Two centuries later, it became the first printed book in Hebrew to be illustrated. Here, an ofer and an aku, depicted as a unicorn and a ram, discuss the wickedness of hunters.

170021964

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