Illuminated manuscripts and incunabula c. 1450-1475

Austria`s National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, ÖNB) ranks with the half dozen of European State Libraries which hold a great number of illuminated manuscripts of high quality. Sooner than any of its sister institutions in Paris, London, Rome, Berlin or Munich (viz. immediately after World War I) the ÖNB decided to publish these treasures in a series of scientific catalogues. Between 1920 and 1938 and from 1974 to the present day appeared a total of 21 volumes, describing all the manuscripts from Italy and Western Europe as well as the German Romanesque manuscripts and the manuscripts of oriental origin. In 1989 a small team of specialists started on filling the last important gap in the Vienna cataloguing project by attending to the Library`s particularly large stock of Gothic manuscripts from Central Europe. This series describes the illuminated codices that were produced, from c. 1250 to c. 1500, in the German speaking and Eastern European countries. The first three volumes, covering the manuscripts dating from between 1250 and 1400, appeared in 1997, 2002 and 2004 respectively. The actual project aims at two ends: In the first place the two volumes presently worked on (they describe the Austrian and German manuscripts from the 1st half of the 15th century) will be edited and seen through the press. These volumes contain, inter alia, comprehensive entries on the splendid manuscripts ordered by king Albert II and emperor Frederic III as well as abundantly illustrated chronicles, epic poems, treatises on the art of war or on astronomy. In the second place a thorough examination of the ÖNB`s 8000 (!) incunabula will be conducted in order to single out the volumes comprising painted decoration. As soon as this is accomplished, the systematic description of the material dating from the 3rd quarter of the 15th century will be taken up.

Austria`s National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, ÖNB) ranks with the half dozen of European State Libraries which hold a great number of illuminated manuscripts of high quality. Sooner than any of its sister institutions in Paris, London, Rome, Berlin or Munich (viz. immediately after World War I) the ÖNB decided to publish these treasures in a series of scientific catalogues. Between 1920 and 1938 and from 1974 to the present day appeared a total of 21 volumes, describing all the manuscripts from Italy and Western Europe as well as the German Romanesque manuscripts and the manuscripts of oriental origin. In 1989 a small team of specialists started on filling the last important gap in the Vienna cataloguing project by attending to the Library`s particularly large stock of Gothic manuscripts from Central Europe. This series describes the illuminated codices that were produced, from c. 1250 to c. 1500, in the German speaking and Eastern European countries. The first three volumes, covering the manuscripts dating from between 1250 and 1400, appeared in 1997, 2002 and 2004 respectively. The actual project aims at two ends: In the first place the two volumes presently worked on (they describe the Austrian and German manuscripts from the 1st half of the 15th century) will be edited and seen through the press. These volumes contain, inter alia, comprehensive entries on the splendid manuscripts ordered by king Albert II and emperor Frederic III as well as abundantly illustrated chronicles, epic poems, treatises on the art of war or on astronomy. In the second place a thorough examination of the ÖNB`s 8000 (!) incunabula will be conducted in order to single out the volumes comprising painted decoration. As soon as this is accomplished, the systematic description of the material dating from the 3rd quarter of the 15th century will be taken up.