Illustrated Megilot-
an Ancient Tradition

As long ago as 300 years after the Temple Jewish artists began to illustrate and decorate hand-written documents. Originally geometric and micrographic decorations were popular. Later, objects were used, such as the Temple and its utensils, books from the Tanach, depictions of Biblical stories and midrash. Decorating the work of scribes was in all of the diasporas. The main centers for Jewish creativity in this field were Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Czechoslovakia, and Italy. In the 17th and 18th centuries decoration as an art field began to flourish. The main documents at the time were books of the Tanach, siddurim and machzorim, Pesach Hagadas, megillas (Book of Ester), and ketubas.
Decorations for the Book of Ester were done on the parchment, around the writing, in the margins, and between the columns. They went from architectonics and flowers and animals, to figures from the story of Ester. /M. Friedman. Machanaim 10/