Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I - Vienna Codex

Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I - Vienna Codex

The most important and extensive of the works commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519) is his Triumphal Procession, which does not depict an actual event but rather an imaginary parade in honor of the Emperor, who conceived of this work himself in 1512. The project was completed in 1515 by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Altdorfer (ca. 1480–1538). This unique and magnificent work is inspired by the festive processions of victorious emperors in Rome and their adaptations in the Italian Renaissance but appears as a contemporary pageant with depictions of the most important people and events from the emperor's life. Furthermore, it is filled with detailed depictions of clothing including the extravagantly dressed landsknechts as well as armor, weapons, canons, horses, wagons, and other equipment from the early 16th century.
The order of the leaves and the reading direction run from right to left, against the direction of the procession. Thus, the participants of the triumphal procession move towards the viewer, as it were, many carrying banners that depict important events. In contrast to the woodcut version of the Triumphal Procession executed from 1516 to 1526, the magnificent miniatures painted on precious parchment were undoubtedly intended as an exclusive ceremonial edition for the Emperor. Originally purchased for 12,000 Gulden, it is one of the greatest treasures of the Albertina’s collections.

The Lost First Part

The original 109-part cycle, painted on parchment, stretched over a length of more than 100 meters when assembled as a frieze of images, but only leaves 49 to 109 and the author's leaf placed at the end with a length of almost 54 meters are preserved in the Albertina. Nothing is known about the fate and whereabouts of the lost first part of the miniatures, but their content can be deduced from Maximilian's surviving written concept from 1512 as well as by two later copies, also executed on parchment.
According to these, the parade was led by the “herald of triumph” riding on a griffin followed by figures of court life such as mounted pipers and drummers, falconers, hunters of ibex, stags, pigs, and bears, the court offices (gift giver, cook, barber, tailor, and cobbler), musicians, and court jesters on richly decorated floats, as well as mummers, fencers with various weapons, and tournament riders. The depiction of Maximilian's marriage to Mary of Burgundy was located approximately in the center of the procession and is at the beginning of the sheets preserved today in the Albertina.

A Splendid Survey of Maximilian’s Life

Themes include important moments from Maximilian's life and those of his ancestors*** such as various dynastic marriages, battles, and wars. His riches are strikingly displayed on treasure carts and his **modern artillery is proudly presented. The Emperor himself is enthroned with his family on a richly decorated triumphal chariot. In accordance with the social order of rank, he is followed by princes, knights, and landsknechts until it reaches the supply train at the end of the procession. Aside from the background of the baggage train, the protagonists of the triumphal procession move before a neutral background of unpainted parchment, which allows the viewer to concentrate on the depictions removed from space and time that aim to honor Maximilian's life as well as his eternal memory. The materials used are of the greatest preciousness: only the finest calf parchment was chosen and the most expensive color pigments as well as silver and gold were used for the painting.

Team Altdorfer

Formerly attributed to the workshop of Jörg Kölderer (ca. 1465/70–1540), who served as Maximilian’s court painter in Tyrol from 1494 to 1518, it is now known that although Kölderer began work on some first drafts, this manuscript is the work of Albrecht Altdorfer, who led a team of artists in his Regensburg workshop. Some are remembered only by their Notnamen such as the Master of the Historia, who created the four epic battle scenes. Among the triumphal miniatures, one can clearly distinguish a group of works including the Treasure of Devotion, Treasure of Use, and the Conquered Cities and Castles by the painter who created the oversized sheet with the artillery: the Master of the Artillery.
Apart from Altdorfer, Georg Lemberger (ca. 1490/1500 – ca.1540/45) made the most extensive contribution to the preserved "Triumph Miniatures". Lemberger distinguishes himself by a self-confident, powerfully wielded, and lively pen. The triumphal wagons carrying members of the imperial family and other that are at the heart of the manuscript are not from Altdorfer as one would suspect but rather from an “unknown prayerbook painter” of tremendous skill whose contributions are unmistakably similar to a prayerbook made for Emperor Maximilian. The hands of several other artists and apprentices are evident in the work, they were mostly tasked with depicting the procession of various nobles, knights, trumpeters, heralds, flagbearers, and servants.