About the creation

Sarajevo Haggadah: The Seven Days of Creation

Artist name: Unknown artist

Right page:
Top level
On the right: The primal chaos is portrayed as white waters covered with darkness above. Dark vertical waves, symbolizing the holy spirit that floats above the waters, move above them and merge with the darkness.
On the left: The separation between light and darkness on the creation’s first day appears as a symmetrical and equal delimitation between a black half and a white half.

Bottom level:
On the right: On the second day of creation, the world, which starts to be arranged, is narrowed into a globe, with the waves of water separated from the white sky above them. The upper light beams represent the word of God, who creates the world by the power of speech.
On the the left: On the third day of creation the land grows trees and grass. The word of God is symbolized again by light beams that descend from the top of the picture.

The left page:
Top level:
On the right: On the fourth day of creation we see two planets that hang above the blooming Earth: one is small and black and represents the moon, and the other is bright and represents the sun.
On the the left: On the fifth day the land is filled with animals, the water is filled with fish and other sea creatures.
Bottom level:
On the the left: On the sixth day the land is inhabited with additional animals and with one naked man, who lies on the grass next to all the other creatures.
On the the right: On the seventh day we see an anthropomorphic God who rests from creating and watches all that he has done as he sits on an altar-like throne.

Source: Genesis 1 - 2

Technique: Color illustration

Location: National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

Date: 1350