Mishneh Torah (Books 7 to 14) by Maimonides

This manuscript is one of a very few illustrated copies of the monumental code compiled by Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon, 1135–1204), the great Jewish philosopher, physician, and legal authority. Illuminated with burnished gold leaf, the colorful, detailed title panels that open the text's different Books depict a variety of legal subjects. Thus, for example, the opening of the Book of Judges shows a guilty man being brought before the Rabbinic court of the Sanhedrin, with the scenery and dress reflecting contemporary Renaissance Italy. The great artistry of these depictions and of the volume's smaller panels indicates that the manuscript was decorated in one of the finest workshops of miniature painting in Northern Italy.

Credit: Extended loan from Michael and Judy Steinhardt, New York