Documents: 24, displayed: 1 - 20

Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, AG 2760
Parchment · 1 f. · 12 x 400 cm · Area of Lake Constance · around 1330-1345
Zürich Armorial

The Zurich armorial on parchment is one of the most important and most unusual documents of medieval heraldry. Today it consists of four parts of various lengths, which can be combined into one four-meter-long roll. Painted on both sides of the parchment, it depicts 559 coats of arms, each shield decorated with a crest, of high and lower nobility from Northern Switzerland, Southern Germany and Western Austria. Names are given next to each shield. In addition there are 28 flags of German bishoprics and monasteries. The order of these four remaining parts, which consist of thirteen parchment leaves that were sewn together, is as follows: Part I (36.5 cm) contains the coats of arms of the bishoprics and monasteries on the verso side (Merz-Hegi numbering: I-XXVIII; the numbering in the original is from the 16th/17th century) and 22 noble coats of arms on the recto side (1-22). Parts 2 and 3 (255.5 cm) were still sewn together in 1930. Part 2, consisting of four parchment leaves, contains the coats of arms 23-104 and 108-114 on the recto side and the coats of arms 214-220, 224-308 on the verso side. Part 3, consisting of three parchment leaves sewn together, contains the coats of arms 105-107, 115-162 on the recto side and the coats of arms 163-213, 221-223 on the verso side. Part 4 (109 cm), consisting of five parchment leaves sewn together, contains the coats of arms 309-378 on the recto side and the coats of arms 379-450 on the verso side. The armorial is incomplete. The missing fourth part should have contained another 109 coats of arms, which are known from a late 18th century copy of the roll. The armorial was probably created in Zurich or in the area of Lake Constance. It can be dated to the period between 1330 and 1345. The style of the workmanship is reminiscent of the famous Codex Manesse, a collection of poems in German with 137 miniatures, also created in Zurich, but somewhat older. The Zurich armorial was owned by Zürich historian and naturalist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672–1733); later it became part of the collection of the Antiquarian Society of Zurich and then of the Swiss National Museum. (ber)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 1314
Parchment · 228 ff. · 11 x 9 cm · Southern Germany (Augsburg?) · second half of the 15th century (1460/90)
Book of Hours

Small book of hours in Latin, very much cut, containing the Seven Psalms, the Cursus beate virginis Marie, the Office of the Dead, the Cursus de passione Domini and various prayers. The decoration consists of various initials with wine scroll ornamentation and one full page miniature (5v) - unfortunately partially damaged - which depicts an Ecce homo with the donor kneeling in front of it with his coat of arms to his right. Mention of the indulgence of Popes Gregory and Callixtus III (1455-1458) (f. 139) makes it possible to narrow the date to the second half of the 15th century, while the style of the book decoration suggests an origin in Southern Germany, perhaps in Augsburg, in the circle of the book illustrator Johannes Bämler. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2014

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 2799
Parchment · 74 ff. · 18.8 x 12.5 cm · Constance · 1487
Processional of Münsterlingen (TG)

This Rituale originated in the Monastery of Münsterlingen (Canton of Thurgovia); it contains a collection of sermons and chants sung by the nuns for processions in the monastery, followed by a long requiem (54v-72v). The latter is introduced by a miniature depicting St. Michael weighing the souls of the dead. The rubrics are written partly in German and partly in Latin. The style of the three initials in the text is associated with the area of Lake Constance. During a restoration around 1973, two sheets of parchment, which originally were glued to the inside cover of the binding, were removed; they come from an lectionary in pre-caroline minuscule, that can be dated to the beginning of the 9th century (Mohlberg: 11th. century). (ber)

Online Since: 04/09/2014

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 4624.1
Parchment · I + 373 + II ff. · 21.2-21.5 x 15-15.5 cm · 1493
Breviary of Jost von Silenen, pars hiemalis

Breviary in two volumes, created in 1493 for Jost von Silenen († 1498), the Bischop of Sion from 1482 until his dismissal in 1497. Richly decorated, the miniatures are the work of an itinerant artist active in Fribourg, Bern and Sion during the final decades of the 15th century and known by the name Master of the breviary of Jost von Silenen. At the beginning of the 16th century, he continued his work in Aosta and Ivrea, where he took the name Master of George of Challant. (ber)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 4624.2
Parchment · I + 438 + II ff. · 21.6-22 x 15-15.3 cm · 1493
Breviary of Jost von Silenen, pars aestivalis

Breviary in two volumes, created in 1493 for Jost von Silenen († 1498), the Bischop of Sion from 1482 until his dismissal in 1497. Richly decorated, the miniatures are the work of an itinerant artist active in Fribourg, Bern and Sion during the final decades of the 15th century and known by the name Master of the breviary of Jost von Silenen. At the beginning of the 16th century, he continued his work in Aosta and Ivrea, where he took the name Master of George of Challant. (ber)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 7180
Parchment · 1 f. · 23 x 17 cm · 13th century
Calendar fragment (January and February)

Leaf from a calendar — the months January and February — from a liturgical manuscript (Psalter? breviary?). The calendar was inserted into a cornice resembling arcades. For the month of January, the figure of St. Peter with his keys is depicted at right, while a medallion at the top shows an activity typical for this month: a man warming himself by a fire. For February, there is St. Matthias and in the medallion at the top a man trimming a tree in order to obtain wood. Signs of a central fold reveal that the leaf had been used as a cover, probably for a book. (ber)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 22737
Paper · 226 pp. · 33.5 x 24.2 cm · around 1560
Portraits of the Habsburg family and of knights killed in the Battle of Sempach (1386)

The first part (1-XX) of this illuminated manuscript on paper contains images of members of the House of Habsburg, kneeling in pious posture, represented with their respective coats of arms. These images reproduce those of the stained glass windows (1325-1340), now partially lost, of the church of Königsfelden Monastery (AG), donated in honor of Albert I of Habsburg (murdered in 1308) by his widow Elizabeth. The prototype of this dynastic cycle of pictures is the Ehrenspiegel des Hauses Österreich, which was commissioned between 1555 and 1559 by Johann Jakob Fugger in Augsburg. Several other copies thereof exist in Vienna (ÖNB, Cod. 8614), Munich (BSB, Cgm 895 and Cod. icon. 330) and Lucerne (ZHB Ms. 124 fol.). The second part (XXI-203) contains portraits of knights in armor with their respective coats of arms, who, along with Leopold III, died in the Battle of Sempach (1386). (ber)

Online Since: 04/09/2014

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 24097
Parchment · 1 f. · 20.6 x 15.5 cm · 14th century
Letter of Protection

This parchment contains a rare example of a letter of protection. The numerous folds indicate that the sheet was folded into a very small format in order to be easily carried. The letter promises protection against enemies, assistance from friends and gratification of desires. Red crosses and initials structure the Latin and German text, which contains a mixture of Christian and magical content made up of complete sentences and single letters. This letter of protection was probably written for a certain Greta, named in line 54 of the text. This paper, archived as an “amulet” was found among the documents of the noble family Wellenberg in 1701. (ber)

Online Since: 04/09/2014

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 25893
Parchment and paper · 2 ff. · 26.8 x 18.3 cm · Venice · about 1491
Commission of Cristoforo Duodo, procurator of San Marco de ultra

Fragment of an official document from the Republic of Venice; it contains an illuminated page and a part of the index of the “commissione” of Cristoforo Duodo, procurator of San Marco de ultra from 1491 until 1496. After the doge, the procurators held the highest office in the Serenissima; upon their election, they had capitularies drawn up, usually illuminated, containing their oath and the list of their “commissione,” i.e., of the specific tasks to which they committed themselves by their oath. This fragment follows 21 commissions of Venetian procurators from the 15th century; it is distinguished from the others by its illumination, which is attributed to a high-level Venetian master trained in the circle of Leonardo Bellini, and also by the rare depiction of the patron saint of not only the procurator, but also his wife. (poz)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 26117
Parchment · 314 ff. · 49 x 34.5 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Gradual from St. Katharinental (Thurgau)

This gradual is from the Dominican Convent St. Katharinental and represents one of the most important artworks of the Gothic period in Switzerland. Created around 1312 in the convent itself, it was probably illuminated in the area around Lake Constance. It contains more than 80 pen-flourish initials, more than 60 historiated initials and 5 I-initials, which consist of several historiated medallions. Several pieces of the last two I-initials, whose medallions were cut out and sold separately, are known today; they are dispersed among various museums and libraries. In addition to the initials, in the floral friezes there are represented numerous kneeling and praying Dominican nuns as well as other secular donors (e.g., 3v, 18v, 90r, 159v, 161r etc.). Until the 19th century, the gradual was in use in the convent; around 1820 it was ceded to an antiquarian book dealer in Konstanz, Franz Joseph Aloys Castell (1796-1844). After 1860 it was owned by the English collectors Sir William Amherst of Hackney and Sir Charles Dyson Perrins (1864-1958). Upon the death of the latter, his library was offered for sale through Sotheby's, and the manuscript was purchased by the Swiss Confederation with the support of the Gottfried Keller-Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 29329.1
Parchment · 1 f. · 14 x 16.7 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with Christ and John the Evangelist from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)

Fragment of page f. 158a verso from the gradual of St. Katharinental, which was removed in the 19th century, and the miniatures from which were sold separately. The initial A shows Christ bestowing a blessing with John the Evangelist, who is resting his head on Christ's knees; kneeling at their feet is a praying Dominican monk, in the frieze at the side, a Dominican nun. Below the initial there used to be a frame (today in Zürich, Swiss National Museum, LM 29329.2) with a painting of the Madonna of the Apocalypse accompanied by John the Evangelist, while two kneeling Dominicans pray under two arcades. Originally the same leaf also had an initial V (today in Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Inv. Nr. 32434) with a very detailed representation of the Maiestas Domini and of the Last Judgement. The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau.  (ber)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 29329.2
Parchment · 1 f. · 11 x 8.5 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with Madonna of the Apocalypse and John the Evangelist from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)

Fragment of page f. 158a verso from the gradual of St. Katharinental, which was removed in the 19th century, and the miniatures from which were sold separately. It shows the Madonna of the Apocalypse, accompanied by John the Evangelist, while two kneeling Dominicans pray under two arcades. The frame was placed below an initial A (today in Zürich, Swiss National Museum, LM 29329.1), which shows Christ bestowing a blessing with John the Evangelist, who is resting his head on head on Christ's knees; kneeling at their feet is a praying Dominican monk, in the frieze at the side, a Dominican nun. Originally the same leaf also had an initial V (today in Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Inv. Nr. 32434) with a very detailed representation of the Maiestas Domini and of the Last Judgement. The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau.  (ber)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 45751
Parchment · 1 f. · ∅ 7 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with the Crucifixion from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)

Fragment with a representation of the crucifixion, from an I-initial. This initial consisted of several medallions and decorated page f. 87a of the gradual of St. Katharinental. In the 19th century, this leaf was removed from the gradual, and the medallions were sold separately. Of the 9 or 10 medallions that originally made up the body of the letter I, there are known today, in addition to this one, medallions with the following scenes: the Last Supper (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, Inv. LM 71410), the Arrest of Christ (Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. Mm. 34 kl), Christ before Pilate (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 55087), the Crowning with Thorns (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15932), the Bearing of the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 14312) and the Descent from the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15933). The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau.  (ber)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.1
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 11.5 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.2
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 11.9 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.3
Parchment · 1 f. · 16 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5‬‬‬‬‬) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.4
Parchment · 1 f. · 16.4 x 11.7 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5‬‬‬‬) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.5
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. This fragment contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51690.6
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5‬‬‬) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Preview Page
Zürich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM 51702
Parchment · 1 f. · 15 x 10.3 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours

Parchment fragment from a Book of Hours of French origin, which contains a part of the Office of the Virgin. (ber)

Online Since: 06/23/2016

Documents: 24, displayed: 1 - 20