Defensorium Immaculatae Virginitatis

A Theological Argument in Images

Around 1400, the Viennese Dominican and theologian Franz von Retz composed the Defensorium Immaculatae Virginitatis. In the debate surrounding Marian doctrine, he sought to refute doubts about the virginal conception of Christ and the perpetual virginity of Mary. To do so, he selected a series of memorable examples from the Bible, legend, and natural history.

The underlying idea is as simple as it is effective: if apparently impossible events can occur in history and nature, then the miracle of Mary’s divine motherhood should not be doubted. The work thus translates theological argument into vivid images and concise Latin verses.

Wondrous Events as Evidence

The examples include episodes from the Old Testament, motifs from classical mythology, and astonishing accounts of animals and natural phenomena. A phoenix rises from the ashes, a maiden carries water in a sieve, birds grow on trees, and a lion restores its cubs to life with its roar. Even Circe’s transformation of human beings is included.

The work’s method of persuasion becomes immediately clear: wonder at creation becomes an argument for the mystery of faith.

A Picture Book with Scholarly Ambition

The nearly sixty illustrations are far more than decoration. Each scene presents a particular example and is linked through explanatory verses to the virginity of Mary. The message could therefore be grasped quickly and more easily remembered. Image and word form an inseparable unity within the argument.

The dense sequence of small-format scenes gives the work the character of a late medieval picture book. At the same time, its scholarly origins remain evident: Franz von Retz was a professor of theology in Vienna and addressed Marian devotion in other writings as well. The visual language gave the treatise an immediate appeal extending far beyond specialist theological circles.

Printed from Entire Wooden Blocks

The edition created in Nördlingen in 1470 belongs to the early block books of the fifteenth century. In this process, image and text were carved together into a wooden block, inked, and printed onto paper. A separate block had to be prepared for every complete page.

Eight large wooden blocks produced sixteen illustrated pages with 59 scenes and their accompanying verses. The method reveals how closely block books remained connected to the craft tradition of woodcut printing. At the same time, it made it possible to reproduce images and texts in multiple copies.

Friedrich Walther and Hans Hürning

The edition is attributed to the Nördlingen painter and draughtsman Friedrich Walther, whose initials and the date 1470 appear in the work. He probably collaborated with the carpenter and woodcutter Hans Hürning. Walther may have provided the designs, while Hürning was likely involved in producing the printing blocks.

Clearly outlined figures, animated gestures, and compact pictorial settings focus each image on the essential action. The sequence combines popular narrative appeal with concise visual argumentation.

Early Printing and Individual Color

After printing, the woodcuts were carefully colored by hand. Green, red, orange, ochre, and minium enliven garments, animals, and landscape details. Although the motifs could be reproduced, the hand coloring ensured that every copy remained an individual product of early printmaking.

Only a small number of block books have survived the centuries. The Defensorium Immaculatae Virginitatis therefore preserves both a compelling theological world of images and a decisive phase in the history of the book: the transition from the handmade manuscript to the reproducible printed volume.