Franz von Retz - Von wundersamen Begebenheiten - 2006

A shining gold decoration frames the splendid, almost romantic images of a 15th-century German artist, who remains anonymous so far. These images were created to demonstrate the existence of inconceivable things: birds that grow on trees, water that a virgin can carry in a sieve, as well as other well-known myths such as the phoenix rising from the ashes, Circe transforming humans into animals, or the lion bringing its cubs back to life with a roar.

All of this is just to demonstrate that the virginity of Mary is part of a series of incredible but true events. The author of the text, a Dominican monk from Vienna named Franz von Retz (1343–1427), created a particular form of late medieval typology and emblemology, which due to its vividness could only be conveyed and explained through painting.

Seventy-four pages of late medieval imagination in illustrated commentary.

This delicate German manuscript from Dublin, a marvelous illustrated book of the Defensorium inviolatae perpetuaequae virginitatis of the most pure Mother of God, makes the impossible possible and also credible for the contemporary reader. Thirty-seven leaves are decorated with delicate full-page miniatures on the recto, complete with short emblematic verses in German and Latin on the recto. These visual gems of miniature gold are juxtaposed with explanatory texts by a 15th-century Dominican father.

The reasoning in images and text follows a particular logic. If one considers that the gods of pagan antiquity performed miracles, how much more credible are the miracles of the Christian world? How can one doubt the virginity of Mary? If it is true that in Cappadocia the mares are fertilized by the wind, then even the servant of the Lord could have conceived as a virgin. If Jupiter made Danae pregnant with a golden rain, then no one can doubt that Mary had a virgin birth. If in a temple of Venus the oil lamp never goes out, this is a sure sign of Mary's eternal virginity.

Charming miniatures of the Cologne school.

The miniatures were painted in an enchanting style by an unknown artist who evidently derived particular joy from this unusual text. He loves genre painting and depicts ancient characters who, however, are dressed in the clothes and appearance of his own time. This painter, who probably lived in Cologne, is clearly influenced by the school of Stefan Lochner. Impressive interiors and atmospheric landscapes with refreshing vibrancy are hallmarks of his style, as is his love for detail, which requires a calm and patient contemplation from the viewer. It is truly astonishing how well he manages to illustrate the incomprehensible.

The origin from Cologne is further reinforced by the marginal decoration: it shows the golden ears, so typical of the cathedral city on the Rhine, twigs and foliage in gold, densely applied on the parchment, with exquisite flowers in delicate colors. This painted manuscript and its text by Franz von Retz, which also circulated in the form of illustrated incunabula, dates back to the mid-15th century, around 1460.

Bond

Green velvet with golden embroidery.