Auction 56 / Lot 37

Depiction of the letter 'T' surrounded by a linear frame, which, like a cross, stands in the centre of the composition formed by a landscape and is entwined by the brazen serpent. To the left, Moses, recognisable by his curly, protruding forehead hair, is talking to his counterpart and pointing to the snake. The ruthless depiction of the Israelites, to the right of the cross, shows five people in their death throes in chronologically staggered sequence, in accordance with the medieval tradition of depiction. Perfectly preserved vellum, slightly wavy overall. In transmitted light, letters are visible on the reverse. We assume that this work, together with the following lot, comes from a missal of a Cologne workshop. The theme of the very finely worked T-igitur is described in the Old Testament in the 4th Book of Moses, also called Numbers (lat. 'Numbers'). The 4th Book of Moses is also the 4th book of the Torah, which forms the 1st part of the Tanakh and is called Bamidbar (''in the desert'') in Hebrew. The Israelites grumbled and spoke ill of God and Moses on the long and arduous journey to Egypt. 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many of Israel died. 7 Then they came to Moses and said: We have sinned in that we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Ask the Lord to take the serpents from us. And Moses asked for the people. 8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent of brass, and set it up high upon a pole. He that is bitten, and looketh on it, shall live. 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it up on a pole. And if a serpent bit any man, he looked upon the brazen serpent, and lived.'' - Num 21:4-9