Legend of Saint Hedwig

Legend of Saint Hedwig – Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie – IV F 192 – Wroclaw University Library (Wroclaw, Poland)

Wroclaw (Poland) — 1451

The pious life of the Duchess and convent founder Hedwig of Silesia in captivating pen and ink drawings: an ornate testimony to the great veneration of the local Silesian saint, created for a Wroclaw patrician

  1. Saint Hedwig of Silesia (1174–1243) was a pious Bavarian noblewoman who married the Duke of Silesia in 1186

  2. The German translation of her vita is illuminated with 60 pen and ink drawings and a colorful opening miniature

  3. The elaborate manuscript was created by various artists in a Wroclaw workshop for the patrician Antonius Hornig

Legend of Saint Hedwig

IV F 192 Wroclaw University Library (Wroclaw, Poland)
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€
(1,000€ - 3,000€)
  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Legend of Saint Hedwig

St. Hedwig of Andechs (1174-1243) became Duchess of Silesia by marriage at the age of 12. Educated in a Benedictine convent, the pious princess was particularly notable for her numerous church and convent foundations, including the first nunnery in Silesia: the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz, which she herself entered after the death of her husband. She was already revered during her lifetime for her charitable deeds and at times ascetic lifestyle. Shortly after her death, the healing miracles associated with her grave led to her canonization in 1267. As one of the most important local saints of Silesia, her veneration took many forms. As such, a biography was written, which has been preserved in this richly illuminated manuscript. It was created in 1451 for the Wrocław patrician Antonius Hornig († 1464) in a Wrocław workshop and contains a German translation of the original Latin text, which is accompanied by 1 full-page opening miniature and 60 vivid pen-and-ink drawings conveying the many stages of Hedwig's life and her genealogy to the reader.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Hedwig-Legende
Legende der Heiligen Hedwig
Legenda o św. Jadwidze
Size / Format
243 pages / 34.5 × 24.0 cm
Origin
Poland
Date
1451
Style
Language
Script
Littera bastarda
Illustrations
60 colored pen drawings, 1 full-page initial miniature, 1 historiated initial, various pen-flourish initials, 1 subsequently added coat of arms
Content
Genealogy of St. Hedwig, Legenda maior, Legenda minor, Author's prayer to St. Hedwig, Canonization deed by Pope Clement IV, Canonization sermon by Pope Clement IV, Letter from Nicholas of Poznan to Prince Louis of Brieg with colophon, Hedwig antiphons and
Patron
Antonius Hornig († 1464)
Artist / School
Previous Owners
Wilhelm von Wirz und Burg, imperial consiliarius for Silesia
Library of the Franciscan Convent at St. Dorothea, Wroclaw

Available facsimile editions:
Legend of Saint Hedwig – Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie – IV F 192 – Wroclaw University Library (Wroclaw, Poland)
Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie – Wrocław, 2000
Limited Edition: 1200 copies (1050 of which for sale)
Facsimile Editions

#1 Legenda o św. Jadwidze - Legende der hl. Hedwig

Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie – Wrocław, 2000

Publisher: Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie – Wrocław, 2000
Limited Edition: 1200 copies (1050 of which for sale)
Binding: Brown leather binding with blind and gold tooling. Comes in a protective slipcase.
Commentary: 1 volume (630 pp.) by Trude Ehlert, Wojciech Mrozowicz, and Jerzy Łukosz
Languages: German, Polish
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€
(1,000€ - 3,000€)
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