The so-called Birds' Head Haggadah, probably illuminated in Mainz around 1300 possesses all the classic qualities of a perpetual enigma. Within the rather modest field of Jewish art, it is, in its own unassuming way, as mysterious as the Pyramids of Giza, the monoliths of Easter Island, or Mona Lisa's smile. Throughout the manuscript there are a variety of figures—young and old, male and female—enacting the narratives of the Exodus and engaged in the religious observance of Passover eve. But although provided with the bodies of human beings, these figures are in most cases represented not with human heads but with the countenances of sharp-beaked and sharp-eyed birds. This feature has surprised and delighted viewers and puzzled scholars for over a hundred years. This talk presents a new interpretation of the figures, and—perhaps—a solution to the enigmas of this extraordinary manuscript.
This talk can stand alone,
or you may enjoy it as part of the series
"The Secret Language of Jewish Art"
^click to access