Emperor Maximilian's triumphal procession
The triumphal procession of Emperor Maximilian I is a woodcut print from the 16th century. With this extensive graphic work, Emperor Maximilian intended to demonstrate the splendor of his rule. The triumphal procession is closely related to the emperor's book projects in which he conveyed his adventures and victories to the people and posterity.
Emergence
The triumphal procession consists of 147 woodcut prints and was originally designed for 210 illustrations. Many artists (including Albrecht Altdorfer , Hans Burgkmair the Elder , Leonhard Beck , Hans Schäufelin , Albrecht Dürer , Hans Springinklee ) worked on the series of single sheets , who by and large had to adhere to the miniature models by Jörg Kölderer . Some of these miniatures are still in their original form in the Austrian National Library and in the Albertina in Vienna. When Maximilian died (1519) the series was not yet finished and was put aside; It was not until 1526 that a first cast of the wooden sticks was made on behalf of his grandson, Archduke Ferdinand . The black banners attest to the incompleteness of the work. The wooden sticks were divided up in an inheritance dispute between Ambras and Graz , but during the time of Maria Theresa (r. 1740–1780), like many other objects, they had to be handed over to Vienna.
Viennese copy
The first connected group are the hunters. Starting with the falconers, the various Jägermeisters are presented on 11 sheets. Carriages then appear with musicians pulled by animals. Here, the sequence of the pulling animal and the pulled cart is clear even afterwards. This group is followed by 12 sheets with armed troops presenting their weapons on foot. The next 13 sheets show competition riders riding their horses in full armor. They carry their lances raised vertically.
The following group of banner carriers consists of 25 sheets. The sheets each show two to three riders, on whose banners the coats of arms of the countries of Emperor Maximilian are depicted; they form the largest block in the woodcut series. The riders are lavishly dressed and the horses are depicted with rich blankets and armor. The upper third of the picture area is taken up by the banners . The standard-bearers move from left to right. In the banners, women are wrapped in clothes in the colors of the coat of arms, which in turn carry pennants with the coat of arms. The upper stripe of the banner has remained black because, as already mentioned, the woodcut series is incomplete and the text was no longer cut into the sticks.
The carriage with the depiction of Maximilian's wedding to Mary of Burgundy should be emphasized as a single sheet . This car is pulled by three stallions who are driven by a winged goddess. This is followed by triumphal floats that glorify the emperor's wars, as well as depictions of prisoners of war. The train is closed by two sheets of ambassadors and two pictures of the train. The background of the train is completely different from the rest and has a wooded background landscape.
Graz copy
The imprint in the Graz University Library consists of 99 woodcut prints with the dimensions approx. 41 cm x approx. 37 cm. The woodcut prints were colored afterwards. On the first sheet (according to the order in Graz) the following signature can be found on the lower right edge: pinx. Jos. Höger SJ ca.1765 . This name has not yet been proven in any source.
The triumphal procession can be divided into several sections: Heralds and standard-bearers lead the procession, followed by musicians, on foot and on chariots, then soldiers, hunters and tournament riders line up. Since the triumphal procession in Graz is incomplete, the large wartime triumphal chariots (except for one), the depictions of prisoners of war (except for two) and the emperor's chariots are missing. The train ends with what is known as the train.
The coloring was done by Josef Höger in 1765. As with most of the subsequently colored works, work was carried out in different stages. This means that the background and large coherent areas of color were first painted by an employee of the workshop and not by the master himself. However, there are sometimes considerable differences in quality in the details of the leaves. At least two different qualities can be distinguished. Unfortunately, no records are known about Josef Höger, so it is not possible to explain the quality differences exactly.
Provenance
The provenance of the Graz prints is considered to be certain. They come from the first print of the series in 1526. The watermark mentioned in the attachment to the Schestag facsimile speaks in favor of dating this year . This is a crowned double-headed eagle with a sickle on its breastplate . This watermark can be found on 43 sheets of the present edition.
It is also mentioned in the supplement that two wooden sticks disappeared after the first impression from 1526: the Burgundian wedding and the beginning of the baggage train. These two prints are in the Graz version. On the first picture there is a signature by Josef Höger SJ with the year 1765. The second series of impressions was only made in 1777. And finally, Josef Wastler gives information in his book on “Das Kunstleben am Hofe zu Graz” about how the Wooden sticks found their way to Graz. He was able to identify the wooden sticks in the inventory of the treasure, art and armory of the Graz Castle and also under the title “Item differently larger and smaller wood engraving, so thails pounded, thails tied together” and “A great truchen, warinen all sorts of scars and wood engraving printed on paper ”. Furthermore, there is a letter from the year 1591 from Archduchess Maria Anna of Bavaria to her brother, Duke Wilhelm V in Bavaria, which provides information about this: “I want to do quite a lot from Emperor Maximilian drympf; I want to be flux. I haven't seen anything like this in my life. As what the emperor wais, he thinks, he has lousy, wierdt in not print. "
Whereabouts
When the Kunstkammer was closed, the “insignificant” pieces were given away to three court officials at Maria Theresa's request; in the same year (1765) one of these court officials auctioned his share. The sheets and the corresponding wooden sticks were purchased from the Jesuit College Graz and later colored by Josef Höger. For a while the triumphal procession was kept in the mathematical tower, an observatory of the old university. After the Jesuit College was dissolved, the sheets and wooden sticks came into the possession of the Graz University Library . The wooden sticks had to be delivered to Vienna under Maria Theresa, but the prints could remain in the university library.
literature
- Triumph of Emperor Maximilian I Reprint from the yearbook of the highest imperial family from 1883 . Graz 1995, ISBN 3-201-01635-7
- Ludwig Baldass: The Artists' Circle of Emperor Maximilians, Vienna 1923
- Arthur Burkhard: Hans Burgkmair d. Ä. Leipzig 1934
- Joseph Wastler: Art life at the court of Graz . Graz 1897
- The triumphal procession of Emperor Maximilian I 1516–1518, ed. von Harenberg Kommunikation, Dortmund, 1979.
- 1514 - Power, violence, freedom: the Treaty of Tübingen in times of upheaval; [on the occasion of the exhibition 1514 Power Violence Freedom - the Treaty of Tübingen in Times of Change, Kunsthalle Tübingen, March 8 to August 31, 2014], ed. by Götz Adriani - Ostfildern: Thorbecke, 2014, pp. 233–265
