Die illuminierten Handschriften der Universitätsbibliothek Graz 1225‒1300

Manuscripts are among the most multifaceted forms of evidence from the Middle Ages, providing invaluable information on the time of their creation and on later periods. The present volume is the result of a comprehensive examination 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 eighteenth 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 Southern 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 content 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 and a detailed index and bibliography.