Eternal Jew's Tale, Manuscript 3, illuminations

In manuscript 3 of The Atternen Juez Talen I continue recording my epic poem of Jewish life, but this manuscript is my first produced on parchment rather than paper. It is a shorter manuscript, as well: only 78 pages, covering 5 chapters.

Parchment is a fabulous material to work on. The India ink glistens on the page, and the gold has a firmer, more durable ground to lay on.

Below is a slideshow of the title page and five illuminations, each one ending a chapter. The fifth illumination, as you will see, is still only a sketch. I will begin work on the gold ground tomorrow. That will probably take 10-15 hours, after which I will lay on the gold leaf, probably 4 layers, taking another 6-12 hours.

Title page

Shell x-ray illumination, p. 13

shell x-ray illumination, p. 31

shell x-ray illumination, p. 31, close-up

Torus illumination, p. 40

Torus illumination, p. 40, close-up

Torus illumination, p. 65

Torus illumination, p. 65, close-up

Torus sketch, p. 78