Textbook for Emperor Maximilian

Textbook for Emperor Maximilian

In the Middle ages, the basic subject matter in teaching was usually arranged with handwriting on simple blackboards, foldable paper boards, or even un-illustrated workbooks. Textbooks, richly decorated with miniatures, with a few exceptions, are exceedingly rare. One of the most valuable is the splendidly illuminated codex from Vienna, that is associated with the famous name of Maximilian I. From this school book, written about 1466 by the Imperial Chancellor Wolfgang Spitzweg, the young Emperor learned his ABC's and prayers such as the Our Father, Ave Maria, and more as well as jingles in the Latin and German languages: in short, all the basic contents of the medieval syllabus. The manuscript is the oldest copy of a group of three known textbooks that were specifically prepared for Maximilian and were all from the same master illuminator. In contrast to the author, the illuminator has remained anonymous. The colorful miniatures, richly decorated with gold, the illuminated initials, the genre scenes, and the religious representations show narrow references to the manorial student. From the beginning, we see Maximilian in one-on-one instruction with one of his teachers; when saying grace, the young prince always appears at table.

Inspired by Illumination at an Early Age

The cultural and historic meaning of the textbook to Maximilian I cannot be determined with sufficient accuracy. History highlights Maximilian I as being "the last knight and the first mercenary", and it is with this book that the versatilely gifted prince, under whom the Hapsburgs rose to be the mightiest dynasty of Europe, learned to read. The exquisite artistic production of this parchment manuscript was the first contact the young Maximilian had with illumination. It so excited him in its vitality that he became a major sponsor of the genre in later years. The manuscript features 14 miniatures inside of initials with polished gold backgrounds, each of which introduces a new section. Its floral frames feature a multitude of leafy tendrils, flowers, insects, animals, and people, indicating that it was the work of a very talented master. This illuminator has remained anonymous, but its author is known with certainty to be Wolfgang Spitzweg, an imperial clerk. Nonetheless, this work planted the artistic seed in young Maximilian, who would grow into one of the greatest art patrons of his day.