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16th and 17th Century Artwork
Theuerdank The Knight of Adventurous Thoughts
Theuerdank - literally translated as The Knight of Adventurous Thoughts - was one of three works commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I intended to chronicle his life. The other works were Der Weisskunig and Freydal. Of the three titles, Theuerdank was the only tale to be completed and published prior to his death.
Tradition suggests that the text to Theuerdank was written by one of the Emperor's close friends - Melchior Pfintzing. However, it is likely that much, if not all, the text was supplied by the Emperor himself. The tale tells a fictional version of the journey taken by the Emperor to meet his betrothed, Maria von Burgund (the daughter of the Emperor's knightly hero, Charles the Bold of Burgundy).
The 118 large illustrations to Theuerdank were a collaboration between at least three artists: Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531); Leonhard Beck (1480-1542); and Hans Schäuffelein (1480-1540). Burgkmair contributed up to 14 designs for the woodblocks while the remainder were contributed by Beck and Schäuffelein.
Seel unnd heiligen Buch Kaiser Maximilians Altfordern Images of the Saints Connected to the Royal Family of Maximilian
Seel unnd heiligen Buch Kaiser Maximilians Altfordern consists of 123 woodcuts prepared in the 16th Century following a commission by Emperor, Maximilian I. While formerly thought to have been the exclusive work of Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531), the woodcuts are now variously attributed to: Burgkmair and an additional two artists closely associated with the Court of Maximilian, Leonhard Beck (1480-1542) and Hans Schäuffelein (1480-1540); or to Beck exclusively. The carvers associated with these images worked as a group under Jost de Negker in Augsberg in the Emperor's service.
Seel unnd heiligen Buch Kaiser Maximilians Altfordern is presented as an account of Maximilian's ancestry and is based on the literary work of Jacob Mennel (1470-1526).
The woodblocks for Seel unnd heiligen Guch Kaiser Maximilians Alrfordern were used for extremely low volume pressings during the life of Maximilian. In the late-18th Century, Adam von Bartsch - a renowned scholar and author - secured the surviving 119 original woodblocks for a further pressing under the title Images de saints issus de la famille de l'Empereur Maximilien I by Franz-Xavier Stockl of Vienna. It is from that pressing that these images originate.
De rebus Gothorum The Origin and Deeds of the Goths
De rebus Gothorum was composed by the 6th Century identity, Jordanes, and claimed to summarized the now lost Libri XII De Rebus Gestis Gothorum written by Cassiodorus.
Jordanes' De rebus Gothorum was rediscovered in 1442 by the Italian humanist Enea Silvio Piccolomini in Vienna and what is termed the editio princeps was issued by Konrad Peutinger in 1515. De rebus Gothorum is considered the only surviving source documenting the origin of the Goths. It is also important for its reference to a campaign in Gaul involving Riothamus - referred to as "King of the Brettones" - a possible source of inspiration for early Arthurian legends.
16th Century woodcuts
17th Century woodcuts
Carved bone remnants from a 17th Century Processional Cross
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