Seals of bishops of the metropolis of Salzburg

The publication Siegel der Bischöfe der Salzburger Metropole (The Bishops Seals of the Salzburg Metropolis), documents the results of two consecutive projects (P22135 und P27122) and presents seals of the archbishops of Salzburg as well as those of Gurk, Chiemsee, Seckau, Lavant, Innsbruck, and Feldkirch. It is thus the time comprehensive documentation of all known bishops seals of this geographic region from the oldest seal of Salzburg Archbishop Friedrich I. (958-991) up to the present day comprising a total of 819 documents with 750 seals. The seals are photographed, for the most part drawn and described according to sphragistic standard practice. The publication is of eminent importance since seals as important identification marks of a person or institution do not only serve as a means of sealing and authentication, they are similarly historic sources, means of representation, and sometimes exquisite pieces of art. Within the field of sphragistics, bishop seals are of special significance due to their great age and their rich tradition. The archdiocese of Salzburg holds a special place here, thanks to its geographiclocation atoneof the central points of Europeanpolitics and culture. The seals are also a mirror of historic and art-historic developments. Starting with the first seals of archbishops in Salzburg, the history of Salzburgs seals spans more than a millennium and has produced a number of iconographically innovative and art-historically highly valuable specimens. The knowledge of seals and their categorisation is of great importance to local historiography and documentation, also considering that seals have oftentimes been lost. Scholars of historical ancillary sciences, history of art and church history can now access the collection of seals. The publication thus presents a piece of fundamental research, which also provides an impulse for future research in this field.