Please excuse cross-posting
Dear colleagues,
the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in cooperation with the Staatliche
Bibliothek Neuburg an der Donau are currently holding an exhibition on:
Ottheinrichs deutsche Bibel - der Beginn einer großen Büchersammlung
Ottheinrich's German Bible - the beginning of a great library
(see the attached press release)
The richly illustrated exhibition catalogue contains articles on Count
Palatine Ottheinrich (1502-1559) and his manuscript Bible as well as
descriptions of a range of books bound for Ottheinrich which are today
preserved in the Munich and Neuburg. On the basis of this research, I intend
to produce a census of surviving "Ottheinrich-bindings" in cooperation with
Dr. Armin Schlechter (UB Heidelberg). For this project, we require the
assistance of current owners of such bindings. We would therefore be very
grateful to be notified of books formerly owned by Ottheinrich now in public
or private collections, especially those outside Germany.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Bettina Wagner
Abteilung für Handschriften und Seltene Drucke
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Ludwigstr. 16, D-80539 Muenchen
email: bettina.wagner@bsb-muenchen.de
Tel. +89 / 28638-2982 Fax. +89 / 28638-2266
Dr. Armin Schlechter
Leiter der Abteilung Handschriften und Alte Drucke
Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg
Plöck 107-109, D-69117 Heidelberg
E-Mail: Schlechter@ub.uni-heidelberg.de
Tel.: 06221/542399 Fax: 06221/542623
Exhibition of the Bible of Elector Ottheinrich in Munich and Neuburg a.d. D.
The Bible which belonged to Elector Ottheinrich is the first illustrated
manuscript of the New Testament in German and was written around 1430,
almost 100 years before the seminal Bible translation by Martin Luther. The
manuscript takes its name after Ottheinrich, Count Palatine of
Pfalz-Neuburg, later Elector in Heidelberg, who in the sixteenth century
commissioned additional splendid illustrations for the still incomplete
manuscript. On the occasion of the production of a facsimile of the first
part of the Bible, which is today preserved in the Bayerische
Staatsbibliothek, original leaves from the manuscripts are on display at the
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Staatliche Bibliothek Neuburg a.d.D.
Count Palatine Ottheinrich (1502-1559), Regent of the principality of
Pfalz-Neuburg, later Elector in Heidelberg, was one of the most prominent
German collectors of books. His name is linked to the richly illustrated,
unusually large manuscript of a New Testament in German translation. The
first part of the so-called Ottheinrich-Bibel has just been published in a
facsimile edition by the Faksimile Verlag Luzern. On this occasion, several
original leaves from the manuscripts are on display at the Bayerische
Staatsbibliothek and the Staatliche Bibliothek Neuburg a.d.D.
The Ottheinrich-Bible is the first illustrated manuscript of the New
Testament in German. It was written around 1430 in Bavaria, almost 100 years
before the Bible translation by Martin Luther, and was richly decorated with
initials and miniatures in Regensburg. The sumptuous paintings in gold and
lavish colours which imitate expensive cloth, pearl embroidery and precious
stones, mark the Bible as a luxury object for the court. The are, however,
only present in the first two gospels; initially, the decoration of the
manuscript remained incomplete. Only recently, a member of the Bavarian
Wittelsbach family could be identified as the commissioner of the book.
One hundred years after its production, Ottheinrich employed the painter
Mathis Gerung from Lauingen to complete the Bible, which he had inherited on
the creation of his principality. The young artist, who was to work for
Ottheinrich on several other projects, decorated the Bible in the years 1530
and 1532 with colourful illustrations which are partly based on motives from
woodcuts by Dürer and Cranach.
In Munich and Neuburg a.d.D., a total of eleven illustrated pages from the
original manuscript are on display, emphasizing the striking contrast
between the gothic miniatures from the early 15th century and those from the
age of the Renaissance. Both exhibitions are supplemented by additional
books from Ottheinrich's collection, which he had bound in Renaissance style
in gold-stamped bindings decorated with the portrait and coat of arms of the
princely owner.
Munich
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Ludwigstr. 16
D-80539 München
Germany
22nd March to 18th May 2002: Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. -
7 p.m., Closed on public holidays
Neuburg an der Donau
Städtische Galerie im Rathausfletz
Karlsplatz A 12
D-86633 Neuburg / Donau
Germany
24th March to 20th May 2002: Tuesday to Sunday (including public
holidays) 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Closed on Mondays
A richly illustrated catalogue for the exhibition will be published for
the price of 10,50 EUR. It can be obtained from
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Zentralabteilung
D-80328 München
or ordered by
Fax: (0049)89 28638-2978
Mail: zotz@bsb-muenchen.de
or online under
http://www.bsb-muenchen.de/english/ott_e.htm