Epistolary of Frederick the Wise
This gorgeous, well-preserved manuscript has been stored in the Jena University Library since 1547 and is an exemplary specimen of the German Renaissance. Frederick III, Prince-Elector of Saxony, commissioned the manuscript ca. 1507 from the Nuremberg workshop of Jakob Elsner. In addition to the richly adorned text pages at the beginning of each pericope, 3 full-page miniatures and 17 historiated initials embellish the manuscript. The most famous of these images is a full-page miniature of the Entombment and Lamentation of Christ in a mountainous landscape based on a woodcut by the great Albrecht Dürer. Its text consists of epistle readings for 18 feast days between Christmas and the celebration of a church consecration.
Epistolary of Frederick the Wise
The Epistolary of Frederick the Wise is a magnificent private liturgical book famous for a full-page miniature of the Entombment and Lamentation of Christ in a mountainous landscape based on a woodcut by the great Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Frederick III (1463-1525), Prince-Elector of Saxony, was a generous patron of the arts during the German Renaissance who also owned one of the most extensive collections of relics and commissioned the Nuremberg workshop of Jakob Elsner (d. 1517) with the project ca. 1507. This magnificent manuscript, created on the eve of the Reformation, has been stored in the Jena University Library since 1547 and as a result is in an excellent state of preservation.
Gorgeous Readings for Christian Festivals
3 full-page miniatures, 17 historiated initials, and rich tendril frames filled with people and animals for the text pages presenting the beginning of each pericope adorn the splendid manuscript created at the behest of Frederick. Historiated initials with depictions of Saint Paul, prophets, or kings from the Bible are also found at the beginning of each pericope, which are epistle readings for 18 feast days between Christmas and the celebration of a church consecration. The coat of arms and various heraldic symbols associated with the Saxon ruling house are depicted in full-page miniatures along with a miniature of angels holding the instruments of Christ’s suffering, the so-called Arma Christi.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- The Festival Epistolary of Frederick III the Wise
Epistolario Festivo de Federico III de Sajonia
Das Fest-Epistolar Friedrichs des Weisen
Fest-Epistolar Kurfürst Friedrich des Weisen - Size / Format
- 76 pages / 35.0 × 25.0 cm
- Origin
- Germany
- Date
- 1507–1509
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Script
- Gothic Textura
- Illustrations
- 3 full-page miniatures, 17 historiated initials, richly decorated with gold
- Content
- Epistle readings for 18 feast days, from Christmas to the celebration of a church consecration
- Patron
- Frederick III the Wise, Elector of Saxony
- Artist / School
- Jacob Elsner
Epistolary of Frederick the Wise
Marginalia
This manuscript distinguishes itself through the quality and detail of the artistic décor, and this extends to the magnificent marginalia that frames the texts. Appearing in the lower right corner of the page, a bearded wildman with ruddy cheeks and covered in green fur climbs up the tendril frame with a duck in his left hand. He stands on a red vine while pulling himself up by grasping a blue and gold acanthus leaf. Meanwhile, a small songbird looks over its shoulder and watches from below.

Epistolary of Frederick the Wise
The Lamentation and Entombment of Christ
This famous full-page miniature is a fine specimen of one of the most popular subjects in Christian art and is based on a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer. The Three Marys and other members of Christ’s inner circle are mourning over his dead body in the foreground, with some of the standing figures richly dressed in contemporary fashion.
The background is a mountainous landscape roughly divided into two with Golgotha depicted on the right and Christ’s tomb on the left. Equally interesting is the frame, which is filled with angels holding inter alia the Arma Christ, the Instruments of the Passion. The frame additionally contains medallions depicting the four “Fathers of the Church” as well as four coats of arms associated with the Duke of Saxony.

#1 Das Fest-Epistolar Friedrichs des Weisen (Standard Edition)
Language: German
#2 Das Fest-Epistolar Friedrichs des Weisen (Luxury Edition)
Language: German
#3 Das Fest-Epistolar Friedrichs des Weisen (Linen Edition)
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