Flemish influence on Central European Renaissance Manuscripts

The project applied for sets a well defined task: Cataloguing certain richly illuminated German an Austrian manuscripts - most of all devotional books - produced in the first half of the sixteenth century, held by the Austrian National Library, Vienna. The most important group of these manuscripts was illuminated by the Nuremberg book- painter family Glockendon, several others by Ulrich Thaler and Narziss Renner, both located at Augsburg; furthermore concerned is a small group of manuscripts illuminated by anonymous Austrian or German book- painters. All these manuscripts have one basic feature in common: the overwhelming influence of the contemporary Flemish manuscript illumination. The most important and well known link between the two areas of book production was Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg, who commissioned manuscripts from the Glockendon-workshop in Nuremberg, inducing the German book painters to copy illustrations from Simon Bening. But it is well known, that Flemish features were intruduced in Germany already two decades earlier, nevertheless a possible way of transmission between the two groups was never investigated. It has been overlooked, that already before 1500, a link promising future was established in the field between Germany and the Netherlands: It was, in fact, in 1496/97, that a certain Petrus Alamire "van Nuerenborch" registered as a brother of the "Illustre Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap" in s-Hertogenbosch. Petrus Alamire is the pseudonym of Petrus Imhoff (the Imhoffs being an important merchant family of Nuremberg which maintained contacts with the Low Countries). Now, Petrus Alamire was to become the most important figure in the production of Flemish music manuscripts, richly illuminated Choirbooks carrying the "new polyphonic music" all over Europe. And these Choirbooks were not only commissioned by Frederick the Wise of Saxony or the Habsbourgs from Austria and Spain, but also by patricians from Nuremberg and Augsburg. Even in manuscripts dating from after the notorious impact of Flemish illumination (due to Albrecht of Brandenburg), we can find curious iconographic connections with Flemish material that seems to have passed through other channels - channels not yet investigated.

The aim of the project was to establish catalogue descriptions of a number of richly illuminated German and Austrian manuscripts held by the Austrian National Library Vienna - mostly devotional books - produced in the first half of the sixteenth century. The research focused especially on the notorious impact of Flemish illumination on these manuscripts. The most important group of these manuscripts was illuminated by the Nuremberg book- painter family Glockendon, several others by Ulrich Thaler and Narziss Renner, both located at Augsburg; concerned is also a small group of manuscripts illuminated by anonymous Austrian or German book-painters. Up to now Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg was considered as the link between the two areas of book production, and he was indeed not only the most important commissioner of Flemish as well as German illuminated books at his time, but he also induced the German book painters to copy whole series of illuminations from Simon Bening, the most famous Flemish book painter of his time. Nevertheless there were other ways of transmission to keep in mind, before, beside and after Albrecht von Brandenburg. Before and beside Albrecht von Brandenburg we have to consider the overwhelming famous and rich production of Netherlandish Music Manuscripts - mainly Choirbooks - which started in the nineties and spread all over Europe, together with the new Flemish polyphonic Mass-compositions. And these Choirbooks were not only commissioned by Frederick the Wise of Saxony or the Habsbourgs from Austria and Spain, but also by patricians from Nuremberg and Augsburg. After the time of Albrecht of Brandenburg and completely independent of the stylistic links with the Ghent-Bruges School of illumination, we can find precise compositional and iconographic similarities between Flemish and German manuscripts (for instance between a Prayer Book produced for the Emperor Charles V and another one produced for a German patrician.