London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Main text scribe 2 - Non-square (Beinoni)

  • Details
  • Graphic Elements (28)
Details

London, BL MS. Add. 17050
British Library (London, United Kingdom)
London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Main text scribe 2 - Non-square (Beinoni)

Scribe

Shemaiah (שמעיה) (Date active: 1386-1394 (active))
Scribe named in the document
Main text scribe
There are two specimens in this MS, one in Sephardic square, another in Ashkenazic non-square. Sfardata record seems to suggest that the scribe Shemaiah whose name is poined out on several occasions is the scribe of both specimen. However, given the difference in ink, script style and mode, and the fact that the name gets singled out in the commentary text in Ashkenazic non-square, I suppose that Shemaiah is the scribe of the text in the Ashkenazic script only (this specimen).
  • Acrostic
  • Differentiated letters

Script Definition

Ashkenazi
Non-square (Beinoni)
Calligraphic
Bookhand

Global Aspect of the Script

  • In the middle
  • Ascenders go above the headline
  • Descenders descend below the baseline
Stable
  • Variable
  • Equal to the height of the line of writing
Variable
Variable
Slow
  • Irregular spacing
  • Nesting
  • Overarching

Approximate Size of Average Letters

Variable size
  • Ascenders are shorter than the height of the average letter
  • Descenders are longer than the height of the average letter
  • Descenders are equal to the height of the average letter
  • Downstrokes are not parallel
  • Horizontal strokes are parallel
  • Ascenders are not parallel to the downstrokes
  • Descenders are not parallel to the downstrokes
  • Ascenders are not parallel among them
  • Descenders are parallel among them
11 Feb 2026, 12:24 p.m.
11 Feb 2026, 12:19 p.m. by Evgeniya Zarubina
11 Feb 2026, 12:24 p.m. by Evgeniya Zarubina
'London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Main text scribe 2 - Non-square (Beinoni)', in: Hebrew Palaeography Album, General Editors: Judith Olszowy-Schlanger. Consulted online at https://www.hebrewpalaeography.com/data/specimens/1734/ on 2026-02-17.

Justification

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Justification - #41902
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Letter

Aleph

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41953
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Beth

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41900
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Gimel

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41897
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Daleth

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41961
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He

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41893
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Vav

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41964
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Zayin

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41950
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Ḥeth

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41948
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Ṭeth

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41892
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Yod

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41959
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Kaph

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41958
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Kaph: final

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41963
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Lamed

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41952
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Mem

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41894
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Mem: final

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41896
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Nun

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41957
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Nun: final

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41949
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Samekh

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41890
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'Ayin

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41899
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Pe

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41889
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Pe: final

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41888
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Ṣade

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41895
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Ṣade: final

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41887
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Qoph

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41901
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Resh

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41956
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Shin/Sin

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41891
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Tav

London, BL MS. Add. 17050: Letter - #41898
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