{"id":8604,"date":"2026-01-27T22:58:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T22:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/?page_id=8604"},"modified":"2026-01-27T23:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T23:03:44","slug":"fascimile-prayer-book-of-elector-maximilian-i-of-bavaria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sjvdenver.edu\/library\/fascimile-prayer-book-of-elector-maximilian-i-of-bavaria\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer Book of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prayer Book of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Prague (Czech Republic)\u00a0\u2014 1574 (silver binding) \/ 1604\u20131612 and 1623 (illumination)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Created in the famous court workshop of Emperor Rudolf II and later in the possession of Emperor Maximilian I: gold-framed miniatures and enchanting depictions of animals and plants in a gilded silver-enamel book jacket.<\/p>\n

A gem from the court workshop of Rudolph II in Prague, which came into the possession of Prince-Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria (1573\u20131651) and bears his name today and as such, the precious prayer book is presented in the full splendor of late illumination ca. 1600. Maximilian, occasionally called “the Great”, was a powerful Catholic ruler during the 30 Years\u2019 War and a major patron of the arts. His splendid prayer book likely originated at the behest of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1552\u20131612), whose court was in Prague. It is filled with impressive depictions of dozens of flowers and animals in astonishing realism alongside the nine wonderful miniature pages, which depict biblicals scenes in gold framings. This book treasure is additionally crowned by its spectacular binding, a precious silver-enamel book jacket by Hans Lecker, the most important goldsmith from Nuremberg, created in the year 1574, which is considered to be a work of art in its own right.<\/p>\n

A mouse gnaws on an acorn, a large beetle crawls over a book page, and a splendid butterfly flutters between sweet fruits and colorful blossoms. Such pictures in\u00a0astonishing realism<\/strong>\u00a0make up the marginal adornments of the text pages in the\u00a0Prayer Book of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria<\/em>. The\u00a0motifs of flowers, fruits, and animals<\/strong>\u00a0are depicted extremely true to nature, are subtly shaded, and visualize the entire skill of the miniaturist.\u00a0Splendidly frilly initials of the finest gold ornamentation<\/strong>\u00a0on powerfully luminous backgrounds complete this visual experience.<\/p>\n

Prague Miniature Painting<\/h3>\n

Alongside this\u00a0exuberant marginal decoration<\/strong>, one almost forgets the\u00a0nine full-page miniatures<\/strong>\u00a0that illustrate the religious texts of the prayer book. These are presented as\u00a0wonderfully opulent depictions of biblical scenes<\/strong>. For example, the scene of the Annunciation is immersed in warm light, the angel shines amidst a sea of soft clouds, and astonishment is written all over the face of the Virgin Mary. An unknown painter in Prague ca. 1600 is responsible for this splendor. The manuscript\u00a0originated presumably at the behest of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II<\/strong>\u00a0(1552\u20131612) at his court in Prague.<\/p>\n

From Prague to Munich<\/h3>\n

The magnificent manuscript finally came into the possession of\u00a0Prince-Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria<\/strong>\u00a0by unknown paths. Maximilian I (1573\u20131651), Duke of Bavaria, was a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire as of 1623. He exerted himself\u00a0actively in the Counterreformation and the Thirty Years War<\/strong>\u00a0and is considered to be the actual founder of the Catholic League. Aside from his political ambitions, Prince-Elector Maximilian was also\u00a0a great patron of the arts<\/strong>. As a result, distinguished artists were active at his court in Munich, e.g. Peter Candid, Friedrich Sustris, and Adrian de Vries.<\/p>\n

The Binding as a Stand-Alone Work of Art<\/h3>\n

This historical treasure, found today under the shelf mark Clm 23640 of the Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, is protected by a splendid cover. This\u00a0silver-enamel book jacket originates from the year 1574 and is a work by Hans Lenckers<\/strong>, the most import goldsmith from Nuremberg alongside Wenzel Jamnitzer. The splendid silver binding is adorned with florally-colored enamel and furnished with a gilded spine, claps, and eight studs. A worthy covering for this\u00a0treasure of late illumination<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Codicology<\/h3>\n

Alternative Titles
\n<\/strong>Gebetbuch Kurfu\u0308rst Maximilians I. von Bayern
\nOfficium Mariae et defunctorum; psalmi graduales et poenitentiales<\/p>\n

Type
\n<\/strong>Manuscript on parchment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Size \/ Format
\n<\/strong>132 folios \/ 14.0 \u00d7 8.8 cm<\/p>\n

Origin
\n<\/strong>Czech Republic<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Date
\n<\/strong>1574 (silver binding) \/ 1604\u20131612 and 1623 (illumination)<\/p>\n

Epochs
\n<\/strong>Late Middle Ages Onwards<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Style
\n<\/strong>Renaissance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Genre
\n<\/strong>Private Devotion Books<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Language
\n<\/strong>Latin<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Script
\n<\/strong>Humanistic minuscule<\/p>\n

Illustrations
\n<\/strong>9 full-page miniatures, numerous depictions of plants and animals as well as dozens of decorated initials<\/p>\n

Content
\n<\/strong>Prayers for different times of the day and night<\/p>\n

Patron
\n<\/strong>Emperor Rudolf II (1552\u20131612)<\/p>\n

Artist \/ School
\n<\/strong>Hans Lencker (goldsmith)
\nGiulio Clovio (illuminator)<\/p>\n

Previous Owners
\n<\/strong>Prince-Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria (1573\u20131651)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prayer Book of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria Prague (Czech Republic)\u00a0\u2014 1574 (silver binding) \/ 1604\u20131612 and 1623 (illumination) Created in the famous court workshop of Emperor Rudolf II and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8604","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\nPrayer Book of Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria | Cardinal Stafford Library<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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