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This image is one of the earliest examples depicting Jewish dancing in Italy. It is an illustration for a pizmon, an auspicious wedding blessing and in this case a nuptial hymn, by Simeon bar Isaac. In this illumination, a lone musician strums a lute, which suggests that he is performing for a small and intimate party. The composition of the image is unusual because the couples are neither dancing side by side, nor promenading behind one another. However, the positioning of the couples conveys movement, and Barbara Sparti suggests it recalls a specific dance, “Colonnese,” by the great dancing master, Guglielmo Ebreo. The couples are dressed in a proper Northern Italian fashion, but the relative simplicity of their clothing can be explained as a response to Christian sumptuary laws dictating that Jews restrict the richness of their dress , as well as to religious leaders who urged Jews to limit the luxury and grandeur of weddings. Another explaination for the simple attire of the dancers is that it could be a reflection of the patron’s own Ashkenazic background, which was more austere and less fashionable than Christians of similar status in Renaissance Mantua. However, the most likely explanation is that because the artist had to produce over 300 illuminations, he probably selected a simple model that could be rendered quickly and repeatedly throughout. Another interesting feature of this image is the headcoverings of the women. The ""Rothschild Miscellany"" is the only codex that shows women wearing the white coif or veil, which was charateristic of married Jewish women. Also, the cone-headdress worn by two of the dancers was only worn by foreigners and was never adopted by Italian women.