"Barbara Wolff's illustrations of Psalm 104 revive some of the long forgotten features of the traditions of medieval psalm illustration according to the principles of literal word illustration, but they do so in a manner that is freshly conceived and attuned to present-day concerns. In their pictorial invention, their command of detail, and the splendor of their coloristic range, they recall qualities found in the most refined and opulent works of medieval illustrated Psalters.

The wonder these illustrations provoke is at once a simulacrum for the wonders described in the language of Psalm 104, a pictorial panegyric of the artist's own, and a means of drawing us into—and drawing out—the psalms invocation of praise for the created world. Such are the tasks of any would-be illustrator of scripture: to embody it anew in compelling pictorial forms and invest it with resonance for contemporary viewers."

James H. Marrow
Professor Emeritus, Department of Art and Archeology, Princeton University

 

"The extraordinary careful construction and execution of Barbara Wolff's illuminations represent a supreme effort both of love and craftsmanship. This work is handmade in the truest sense—in fact, it represents the integration of hand, eye and mind in a way that enables us to glimpse the true genius of the medieval illuminator's workshop as it is translated (but not, in fact, substantially transformed) in our latter day age."

Marc Michael Epstein
Professor of Religion and Visual Culture, Vassar College

 

"Wolff's art has been described as ‘a space where nature crystallizes in aesthetic precision born of artistic passion for the small, precise, and beautiful.' This certainly characterizes the ten folios that comprise Psalm 104. Minutely rendered fish, animals, flowers, and insects fill vellum pages that are highlighted with gold, silver and platinum foils to dazzling effect. The divine praise encapsulated by the psalm erupts in a celebration of nature's diversity that is conveyed by Wolff's illustrations."

Peggy Fogelman
Director, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

 

"Over the centuries, the knowledge of how to create beautifully illuminated and decorated manuscripts was, for the most part, lost. The advent of printing created a situation where people were able to acquire books that were published by the hundreds and thousands and consequently, the craft of handwritten manuscripts with exquisite decoration and illumination became a thing of the past. While there was a brief revival of decorated Hebrew manuscripts in the first half of the 18th century, it was short-lived.

It is especially exciting, therefore, to watch Barbara Wolff, one of the modern masters of handwritten and sumptuously decorated books, re-create this lost art in the contemporary era. Barbara uses the techniques and materials from the medieval period and melds them with a modern sensibility. In doing so she brings texts to life and introduces the magnificent art of decorated manuscripts to appreciative audiences everywhere."

Sharon Liberman Mintz
Sotheby's Senior Consultant for Judaica and Hebraica, and
Curator of Jewish Art at the Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary

 

"In ancient Greek, cosmos and aesthetics were inseparable, as the word cosmos intertwined two meanings—world and ornament. The splendor of cosmic creation shines through Psalm 104, breathing beyond the grandeur of its Hebrew lyrics to inspire centuries of imagery and illuminations in joyful praise of creation. And then came Barbara Wolff. Her knowledge of medieval technique, poetic sensitivity and love of nature uniquely inform her ten illuminations of the Psalm, each extolling the generosity of a creation whose work is renewed every day, and with which she has partnered so beautifully."

Brigitte Miriam Bedos-Rezak
Professor of Medieval History, New York University