Die Rezeption der ›Melusine‹ vor dem Hintergrund persönlicher und medialer Verflechtungen
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Kristina Domanski
Abstract
Two of the earliest documents of the reception of the ›Melusine‹ in German were produced in Basel, a manuscript written by Niklaus Meyer zum Pfeil in 1471 and the first printed edition by Bernhard Richel in 1473/74. Both present the prose romance as an illustrated narrative, the editio princeps containing 67 full-page woodcuts and the manuscript 38 coloured drawings which may be the work of Niklaus Meyer himself. The combination of text and images, combining two media, probably helped to make the ›Melusine‹ a major success throughout the early printing period and beyond. Since the German translation completed by Thuring von Ringoltingen in 1456 in Bern was dedicated to Margrave Rudolph IV of Baden-Hochberg, a diplomat, ally and familiar of the dukes of Burgundy as well as the Swiss Confederation, it seems promising to look at ›Melusine‹ within the network of diplomatic relations, literary interests and manuscript culture. At the court of Burgundy under Philipp the Good, as well as under his son Charles the Bold, the production of new romances in lavishly decorated and illustrated manuscripts increased considerably. Rudolph IV, who was well acquainted with the literary life of the court and a bibliophile himself (as proved by an inventory of books) may not therefore only have provided the French original for the German translation, but he may also have inspired the cycle of illustrations for the printed edition of ›Melusine‹ or its model. The miniatures in the French manuscripts of the romance do not offer a precise model for the woodcut series, but they indicate the same innovative interest in extensive visualization of the narrative. Another innovative aspect is the way the pictorial narrative, both in Richel’s printed edition and the Basel manuscript - although not quite to the same extent - focusses on new topics reminiscent of contemporary manuscripts from Burgundy.
Abstract
Two of the earliest documents of the reception of the ›Melusine‹ in German were produced in Basel, a manuscript written by Niklaus Meyer zum Pfeil in 1471 and the first printed edition by Bernhard Richel in 1473/74. Both present the prose romance as an illustrated narrative, the editio princeps containing 67 full-page woodcuts and the manuscript 38 coloured drawings which may be the work of Niklaus Meyer himself. The combination of text and images, combining two media, probably helped to make the ›Melusine‹ a major success throughout the early printing period and beyond. Since the German translation completed by Thuring von Ringoltingen in 1456 in Bern was dedicated to Margrave Rudolph IV of Baden-Hochberg, a diplomat, ally and familiar of the dukes of Burgundy as well as the Swiss Confederation, it seems promising to look at ›Melusine‹ within the network of diplomatic relations, literary interests and manuscript culture. At the court of Burgundy under Philipp the Good, as well as under his son Charles the Bold, the production of new romances in lavishly decorated and illustrated manuscripts increased considerably. Rudolph IV, who was well acquainted with the literary life of the court and a bibliophile himself (as proved by an inventory of books) may not therefore only have provided the French original for the German translation, but he may also have inspired the cycle of illustrations for the printed edition of ›Melusine‹ or its model. The miniatures in the French manuscripts of the romance do not offer a precise model for the woodcut series, but they indicate the same innovative interest in extensive visualization of the narrative. Another innovative aspect is the way the pictorial narrative, both in Richel’s printed edition and the Basel manuscript - although not quite to the same extent - focusses on new topics reminiscent of contemporary manuscripts from Burgundy.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter 1
- Inhalt 7
- Vorwort 9
- Raum und Medium. Fragestellungen und Bausteine zu einer Literaturgeschichte Basels 13
- Basler Liederbücher? Lyrikhandschriften im Kontext der Basler Literaturszene 87
- Otto von Passau and the literary history of Basel in the later fourteenth century 107
- Konziliare, kuriale und städtische Reformen in den Basler Frauenklöstern und die Bedeutung von sozialen Räumen 153
- Women as scribes and illustrators in the age of reform. The Basel connection 177
- Margarethe von Savoyen in Basel 1445. Herrschaftsrepräsentation und ihre Medien im städtischen Kontext 201
- Die Rezeption der ›Melusine‹ vor dem Hintergrund persönlicher und medialer Verflechtungen 219
- Marquards von Stein ›Der Ritter vom Turn‹. Ein Produkt internationaler Kulturkontakte und literarischer Interessen zwischen adlig-höfischer Tradition, humanistischem Impetus und frühkapitalistischer Verlagspolitik 245
- Bibliotheca cartusiae Basiliensis. Die Bibliothek der Basler Kartause mit besonderem Fokus auf die Zeit unter Prior Heinrich Arnoldi (1449–1480) 287
- Der Basler Kartäuser Heinrich Arnoldi und seine an heilige Frauen gerichteten Meditationes et orationes. Mit einer Textausgabe der Katharina von Alexandrien und Odilia gewidmeten lateinischen Gebete 315
- Basilea aut Christianitatis centrum aut ei proxima est. Eine Gebrauchshandschrift erzählt Geschichten über Basel 373
- Die Basler Sammelausgaben von Sebastian Brants Dichtungen. Genese und Programmatik der ›Carmina in laudem beatae Mariae virginis‹ (1494) und der ›Varia carmina‹ (1498) 403
- Drucke(n) fürs Seelenheil. Johannes Amerbachs deutschsprachige Publikationen 443
- Schauspiel in der Stadt. Der ›Weltspiegel‹ des Valentin Boltz 459
- Ketzerstadt Basel. Das mittelalterliche Basel als Projektionsfläche des 19. Jahrhunderts 475
- Abkürzungsverzeichnis 493
- Register der Personen, Werke, Institutionen und Orte 495
- Handschriftenregister 515
- Abbildungsnachweise 521
- Abbildungen 523
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter 1
- Inhalt 7
- Vorwort 9
- Raum und Medium. Fragestellungen und Bausteine zu einer Literaturgeschichte Basels 13
- Basler Liederbücher? Lyrikhandschriften im Kontext der Basler Literaturszene 87
- Otto von Passau and the literary history of Basel in the later fourteenth century 107
- Konziliare, kuriale und städtische Reformen in den Basler Frauenklöstern und die Bedeutung von sozialen Räumen 153
- Women as scribes and illustrators in the age of reform. The Basel connection 177
- Margarethe von Savoyen in Basel 1445. Herrschaftsrepräsentation und ihre Medien im städtischen Kontext 201
- Die Rezeption der ›Melusine‹ vor dem Hintergrund persönlicher und medialer Verflechtungen 219
- Marquards von Stein ›Der Ritter vom Turn‹. Ein Produkt internationaler Kulturkontakte und literarischer Interessen zwischen adlig-höfischer Tradition, humanistischem Impetus und frühkapitalistischer Verlagspolitik 245
- Bibliotheca cartusiae Basiliensis. Die Bibliothek der Basler Kartause mit besonderem Fokus auf die Zeit unter Prior Heinrich Arnoldi (1449–1480) 287
- Der Basler Kartäuser Heinrich Arnoldi und seine an heilige Frauen gerichteten Meditationes et orationes. Mit einer Textausgabe der Katharina von Alexandrien und Odilia gewidmeten lateinischen Gebete 315
- Basilea aut Christianitatis centrum aut ei proxima est. Eine Gebrauchshandschrift erzählt Geschichten über Basel 373
- Die Basler Sammelausgaben von Sebastian Brants Dichtungen. Genese und Programmatik der ›Carmina in laudem beatae Mariae virginis‹ (1494) und der ›Varia carmina‹ (1498) 403
- Drucke(n) fürs Seelenheil. Johannes Amerbachs deutschsprachige Publikationen 443
- Schauspiel in der Stadt. Der ›Weltspiegel‹ des Valentin Boltz 459
- Ketzerstadt Basel. Das mittelalterliche Basel als Projektionsfläche des 19. Jahrhunderts 475
- Abkürzungsverzeichnis 493
- Register der Personen, Werke, Institutionen und Orte 495
- Handschriftenregister 515
- Abbildungsnachweise 521
- Abbildungen 523
