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Book/Printed Material Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I.

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About this Item

Title

  • Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I.

Summary

  • There are six known copies of this prayer book, which was printed on parchment in an edition of only ten copies at the behest of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) for knights of the Order of Saint George. Presented here is the Munich copy, which is thought to have been the emperor's personal copy and which is distinguished by the colored line drawings in the margins of the leaves. The drawings are the work of the most important German artists from the time of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and are among the most valuable book illustrations ever produced. Dürer (who executed the marginal drawings in the first ten gatherings) and Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) drew the illustrations for the Munich section of the prayer book, in which Christian pictorial concepts are lined with the mythological and the profane. The text begins: "A prayer to his own angel. God be merciful to me a sinner. And be you a guardian to me all the days of my life." A second fragment, of 57 leaves, is in the Municipal Library at Besançon. This part of the work was illustrated by Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473-1531), Hans Baldung Grien (died 1545), and several other artists. The "Prayer book gothic" type, derived from the Bohemian chancellery script of the late 15th century, together with the rulings, produce an archaic, manuscript-like effect. This copy was acquired in the late 16th century from Perrenot de Granvelle's collection, probably by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria.

Names

  • Cranach, Lucas, 1472-1553 Artist.
  • Dürer, Albrecht, 1471-1528 Artist.
  • Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, 1459-1519 Associated Name.

Created / Published

  • Augsburg, Germany : Johann Schönsperger, [1514 to 1515]

Headings

  • -  Germany--Bavaria--Munich
  • -  1514 to 1515
  • -  Hymns
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Lectionaries
  • -  Prayers
  • -  Psalms

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "BSB shelfmark: 2 L.impr.membr. 64"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 107 folios.
  • -  Original resource at: Bavarian State Library.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Illuminated Manuscripts from Europe

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666963

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Cranach, Lucas, Artist, Albrecht Dürer, and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I. [Augsburg, Germany: Johann Schönsperger, to 1515, 1514] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666963/.

APA citation style:

Cranach, L., Dürer, A. & Maximilian I, H. R. E. (1514) Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I. [Augsburg, Germany: Johann Schönsperger, to 1515] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666963/.

MLA citation style:

Cranach, Lucas, Artist, Albrecht Dürer, and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I. [Augsburg, Germany: Johann Schönsperger, to 1515, 1514] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666963/>.