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Freydal: Medieval Games - The Book of Tournaments of Emperor Maximilian I
Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) treated the spectacle of his tournaments, hastiludes, and mummeries as an art form unto itself. One of modern Europe’s most important sovereigns, he shaped the continent’s political map well into the 20th century, not least due to his keen awareness of the power of a good public display towards diplomacy and networking.
From 1512 to 1515, Maximilian commissioned a massive, exquisitely detailed and illustrated manuscript of the 64 tournaments. The 255 elaborately gilt and silvered miniatures were more than just a collection of jousting scenes from the Habsburg court―from the grand melee and tilting at the lists to foot combat and closing ceremonies―they were an allegorical epic telling the story of an intrepid hero, a knight errant who is no other than Maximilian himself. In the guise of his literary alter ego “Freydal”, the Emperor jousted to prove his love for a noble lady. The story ends with the lady agreeing to marry him―she is no other than Mary of Burgundy, whom Maximilian wed in 1477 at Ghent.Produced under the direct supervision of Maximilian himself, Freydal is an invaluable record of late-medieval chivalry, one which introduces us to the jousts that the Emperor revived and even invented―such as the spectacular Rennen mit geschifften Tartschen, where shields would be catapulted into the sky and disintegrated into metal wedges. To this day, it remains the largest extant tournament book from the Late Middle Ages and the essential source on European courtly festivities of the early modern era. Much too fragile to be on permanent display, the miniatures are safely locked away in the vaults of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
To commemorate the fifth centenary of Emperor Maximilian I’s death, TASCHEN reproduces the complete 255 miniatures in full-color photographs, making the unique manuscript accessible to all for the very first time. The astounding collection is introduced by Stefan Krause, director of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s Imperial Armoury, who tells its fascinating story.
From 1512 to 1515, Maximilian commissioned a massive, exquisitely detailed and illustrated manuscript of the 64 tournaments. The 255 elaborately gilt and silvered miniatures were more than just a collection of jousting scenes from the Habsburg court―from the grand melee and tilting at the lists to foot combat and closing ceremonies―they were an allegorical epic telling the story of an intrepid hero, a knight errant who is no other than Maximilian himself. In the guise of his literary alter ego “Freydal”, the Emperor jousted to prove his love for a noble lady. The story ends with the lady agreeing to marry him―she is no other than Mary of Burgundy, whom Maximilian wed in 1477 at Ghent.Produced under the direct supervision of Maximilian himself, Freydal is an invaluable record of late-medieval chivalry, one which introduces us to the jousts that the Emperor revived and even invented―such as the spectacular Rennen mit geschifften Tartschen, where shields would be catapulted into the sky and disintegrated into metal wedges. To this day, it remains the largest extant tournament book from the Late Middle Ages and the essential source on European courtly festivities of the early modern era. Much too fragile to be on permanent display, the miniatures are safely locked away in the vaults of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
To commemorate the fifth centenary of Emperor Maximilian I’s death, TASCHEN reproduces the complete 255 miniatures in full-color photographs, making the unique manuscript accessible to all for the very first time. The astounding collection is introduced by Stefan Krause, director of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s Imperial Armoury, who tells its fascinating story.
- GenresHistory
448 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2019
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 25, 2022
A deeply flawed reproduction of the original manuscript. A lot of images are printed full-bleed, resulting in important details being chopped off or lost in the binding--even details that are specifically mentioned in the (extremely anemic and disappointing) commentaries are lost to the vagaries of trimming and the necessities of bookbinding. Additionally, of the five completed woodcuts for the project, only only one (just one!) is reproduced in the book.
On top of all that, the book is too big and heavy to read comfortably, and it's impossible to just flip through on a whim, which is one of the great joys of owning art books.
On top of all that, the book is too big and heavy to read comfortably, and it's impossible to just flip through on a whim, which is one of the great joys of owning art books.
September 8, 2022
Top quality book, fantastic source for the period and beautiful as part of a collection, the descriptions are fairly brief so maybe better aimed at people who have knowledge or other books covering what you are seeing but the real value is just in seeing the amazing vibrancy of the past great to flick through and leave open on a different page.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews