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Among the holdings of the Cabinet of Prints of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (GNM) in Nuremberg is a major collection of illuminated cuttings, consisting of pages, initials, and ornamental borders, excised from German, Bohemian, Flemish, French, and Italian manuscripts from the 9th to 16th century. Their status changed in both time and space from Middle to Modern Age: they went from being part of a book to being cut out and collected as Curiosities, then becoming ‘Monuments’ of lost primitive Art, or models in the wake of the Art & Crafts Movement, of the new reproduction technologies and academic disciplines.

29 April: The symposium will bring together an international team of scholars and curators: session I and session II will offer an insight into the fragments at the GNM, exploring their history, style, the relationship with Monumental Arts, and different topics related to their material production; session III will be devoted to on-going Projects of Cataloguing collections of German Miniatures, discussing cataloguing perspectives in connection with international databases.

30 April: During the morning, the conference attendees will have the opportunity to examine the miniatures in the Studiensaal of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Special emphasis will be placed on the Illuminated fragments presented by the scholars the previous day, further encouraging discussion about their style and provenances.

Organization and contact:
Dr. Beatrice Alai (beatrice.alai@fau.de)

Conference Programme

29 April 2024 | Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Konferenzraum, Kornmarkt 1, Nuremberg

9.00–9.10:  Welcome

9.10–9.20: Introduction: Hans von und zu Aufsess and the Birth of the Kupferstichkabinett, Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
Christian Rümelin (Kupferstichkabinett, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg)

SESSION 1: Working with Italian, Flemish, and Bohemian Illuminated Cuttings at the GNM

Chair: Francesca Manzari (Sapienza Università di Roma)

9.20–9.40: Some observations on the „Bohemian“ fragments of the GNM in Nuremberg. Maria Theisen (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Institut für Mittelalterforschung / Abt. Schrift- und Buchwesen)

9.40–10.00: Discovering the Italian Fragments Collection at the GNM. Beatrice Alai (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)

10.00–10.20: Scattered Leaves: The Hastière Bible as a case-study. Peter Kidd (Peter Selley Fellow, Bodleian Library, Oxford)

10.20–10.50: Discussion +  Coffee break

SESSION 2: Working with German Cuttings at the GNM

Chair: Christine Beier (Universität Wien)

10.50–11.10: Alte und neue Bekannte: Wiedersehen mit Fragmenten des Spätmittelalters aus Mitteleuropa im Germanischen Nationalmuseums in Nürnberg. Regina Cermann (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften Institut für Mittelalterforschung / Abt. Schrift- und Buchwesen)

11.10–11.30: Little-known Cuttings at the GNM and Their Siblings: New Insights into Manuscript Illumination at the Turn of the 16th Century from the Rhenish Lowlands. James Marrow (Professor Emeritus, Princeton University)

11.30–11.50: The Birth of God in the Soul in Newly Discovered Devotional Drawings from St. Walburg in Eichstätt. Jeffrey Hamburger (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA)

11.50–13.40: Discussion + Light Lunch Break

SESSION 3: Cataloguing collections of German Miniatures: on-going Projects in Germany, and international experiences

Chair: Martin Roland (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Institut für Mittelalterforschung / Abt. Schrift- und Buchwesen)

13.40–14.00: The collection of manuscript fragments and cuttings of the „Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum“ in Leipzig – Workshop report: results and open questions. Matthias Eifler (Universitätsbibliothek, Leipzig)

14.00–14.20: Making manuscript fragments in museum collections online accessible: Web portals for the presentation of the European manuscript heritage. Christoph Mackert (Universitätsbibliothek, Leipzig)

14.20–14.40: Fragmentarium und das GNM. Die Möglichkeiten der digitalen Katalogisierung. Marina Bernasconi Reusser (Fragmentarium)

14.40–15.00: Display Scripts and how to Describe them. Christine Jakobi-Mirwald (Independent Scholar)

15.00–15.20: Framing the gaze: some thoughts on Illuminated manuscript cuttings in a museum context. Catherine Yvard (V&A Museum)

15.20–16.30: Discussion + Coffee break

Keynote lecture:

16.30–17.30: Painting and Illumination in Nürnberg in the time of Albrecht Dürer’s artistic formation. The activity of Hans Traut as illuminator in the light of five recently rediscovered fragments from a broken – up missal. Gaudenz Freuler (Universität Zürich)

30 April 2024 | Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Studiensaal, Kornmarkt 1, Nuremberg

9.30–11.30: Round-table discussion with the miniatures in the Studiensaal (with Christian Rümelin)

12.00: Conclusion