An exhibition in Heidelberg shows magnificent manuscripts from the transition between handwritten and printed books
Selected manuscripts, incunabula and early printed manuscripts from the collection in Heidelberg and Württemberg are on show this winter at the University of Heidelberg’s library. Among the 75 exhibits are Bibles, literary works and non-fiction handbooks. Each and everyone are a testament to the beauty, diversity and artistry of design of books from the age of transition between handwritten manuscripts and printed books.
“In the middle of the 15th century the transition from handwritten to printed books began. During half a century the two formats existed side by side. In this period the spectrum of relationships between handwriting and print ranged from pure imitation to competition between diverse technical and functional means of expression, “says Dr. Maria Effinger, who is head of the manuscript department of the University Library in Heidelberg.
“The artistic types of decorations include vine scrolls, figurative ink drawings and coloured miniatures from manuscripts, but also woodcuts and vignettes from printed books. In addition to the interplay between technical and cultural features, the specific designs of the books and the roles of the clients, buyers and owners are explored. These different agents often had significant influence on the forms of representation and the contents of the books”, tells Dr. Effinger.
“The exhibition also documents the distinctive characteristics of the book-art in Southwestern Germany in the 15th century. One focus of the exhibition deals with books, which have been made for the circle of humanists in Heidelberg of which some probably stem from a workshop in Heidelberg, which was founded by the governing duke. Other books were produced for Duke Eberhard im Bart or Margaret of Savoy. One of the most magnificent books is a Bible – Biblia Germanica – which was printed in 1483 and painted in Nuremberg in the workshop of Anton Koberger.
VISIT:
“With Beautiful Pictures’ – Book Art in Southwest Germany”
The University Library in Heidelberg, 29.10.2014 – 01.03.2015
READ MORE:
Mit schönen figuren – Buchkunst im deutschen Südwesten
Eine Ausstellung der Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg und der Württembergischen Landesbibliothek Stuttgart
By Maria Effinger and Kerstin Losert (Eds.)
Series: Schriften der Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Band 15
Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2014
ISBN 978-3-8253-6310-9
FEATURED PHOTO:
View of Nuremberg in the 15th century. Printed and colored in the workshop of Anton Koberger.