Five Micrographic Biblical Passages -

(Dutch, 18th century). Five bifolium sheets, each measuring approximately 7 5/8 by 10 3/4 inches. All contain images of Biblical scenes, composed of miniature writing known as micrography. The images, therefore, are composed of the words from the Biblical passages that describe the action being depicted. Four of these images are framed with watercolor borders. The scenes shown are: Samson slaying the lion, composed of the text from Judges 14; Samson pulling down the pillars of the Philistine temple and Delilah cutting Samson's hair, both of which are drawn from sections of Judges 16; Daniel in the lion's den with text from Daniel 6; and the bearing of giant fruit from the land of the Canaanites. This last image lacks a border but contains the full text of Numbers 13 below. Micrography, or micro-calligraphy, can be traced back to the ninth century, when it appeared primarily in Jewish Biblical codices. Marginal notations from these codices were employed to create geometric and floral patterns. Micrography was also popular in Christianity and Islam because it circumvented the Second Commandment, which proscribed the depiction of "what is in the heavens above." As the technique spread throughout Europe, more elaborate motifs emerged, usually comprised of introductory passages from Biblical texts, as exemplified by this intricate example. The practice of micrography, while slightly altered, is still in use to this day. Apart from a few small holes to the Canaanite image and minor soiling to edges, this is a fine set.