The present volume is the result of a comprehensive investigation of 86 illuminated
manuscripts and fragments that are now in the University Library in Graz. Produced between
1225 and 1300, the works almost all came to Graz from monasteries in Styria, Carinthia, and
Slovenia, where they were held until the secularizations of the late 18th century. The volume
approaches this material from an art-historical perspective and sets it within its historical,
cultural, and intellectual contexts. Stylistic analysis of the illuminations shows that only a
relatively small proportion of the works were made locally, and that most of the manuscripts
were imports from major centres of European book production such as Bologna, Paris, or
South France. The publication thus offers important insights into the international character of
book culture in the thirteenth century.
The structure of the catalogue follows the format of earlier publications in this series:
an introduction to the material as a whole is followed by detailed analyses of the individual
objects, which address the materiality (codicology, bindings, provenance) and contents of the
manuscripts. The main, art-historical section of these entries describes the book decoration
and assesses its stylistic character. The text is supported by an extensive volume of
illustrations, a detailed index, and bibliography.