Munich-Besançon Prayer Book of Maximilian I

Albrecht Dürer's and Lucas Cranach's Marginal Drawings in the Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I

The Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I is a Latin text published in 1513 by the imperial court printer Johann Schönsperger the Elder (ca. 1455-1521) in Augsburg, Germany. It was a parchment edition of only ten copies intended either for the personal use of Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1518), members of the Order of St. George, or those close to the Emperor. It is famous for its ornate typography with an early version of Fraktur, but one copy was additionally adorned with marginal drawings by leading artists of the time ca. 1514-15. For whom this sample was intended is unknown today, but researchers generally believe that it was made for Maximilian I. The precious book was divided at an unknown time with one section going to Besançon and the other to Munich, where it arrived ca. 1598-1600. The Munich manuscript is famous for its incredible marginal drawings from two of the most important artists of the German Renaissance: Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).

Marginal Grisaille Masterpieces

The pen and ink drawings are monochrome, either black, red, or blue, and make masterful use of the grisaille technique, which emphasizes shading and detail over color. Aside from religious imagery typical for a prayer book, there are numerous secular scenes as well including doctors and musicians, strangely dressed foreigners, flora and fauna, hybrid creatures and other drolleries, and various battle scenes. The attention to detail and masterful execution of the artwork is all the more impressive considering that it was executed in the limited space surrounding the text, which was not originally designed by the rubricator to leave room for such embellishment. Nonetheless, these masterful drawings from the hands of Dürer and Cranach are a testament to the skill of two of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance.