Abstract (eng)
The illuminator, Ulrich Schreier, can be traced in Salzburg, Vienna and Bratislava between 1457 and 1490. Three of his main works are signed and reveal the fore- and surnames of the book painter, making him one of the few fifteenth-century illuminators in Central Europe who can be identified firmly with a historical person. Born in Salzburg, Schreier was the leader of a workshop that, as printed books first came onto the market in substantial numbers, illuminated both hand-written texts and printed codices. The workshop also specialised in the production of decorative bindings, which formed a second pillar of, and source of income for, the enterprise. In total more than 200 works can be attributed to Schreier and his assistants, of which a large part was discovered through research for the present dissertation. Along with the written sources these form the basis of my investigation, which seeks to provide both a summarising account and detailed analysis of Schreier’s sphere of operations. Since Heinz Zirnbauer’s 1927 monograph, this represents the first work dedicated to the career and life of a multi-faceted personality.
The first documentary trace of Schreier comes from the matriculation register of Vienna University, where he was inscribed in April 1450. From 1462 at the latest, Schreier worked in Salzburg, where he was active for around two decades for various patrons, particularly the Archbishop of Salzburg, Bernhard von Rohr. When the latter was forced by Emperor Frederick III to resign, it also marked the end of Schreier’s Salzburg career. He left his hometown and established himself in Vienna and Bratislava, where patrons from university and clerical circles ensured him a profitable market.
Schreier’s works are commissions whose form was largely determined by the financial means, practical requirements, individual wishes and aesthetic preferences of a broad and differentiated patronal class. These interactions between patron and artist represent a central question of the present investigation.
A further focal point is the Schreier atelier’s adoption of forms from printed works. Around 40 miniatures or figurative initials from Schreier’s oeuvre are based on copper engravings, whose reception ensured a high quality of design and accelerated the production process.
Since Schreier’s atelier specialised not only in the illumination of texts, but also created artistic bindings, the illuminators were able to employ a similar range of motives for book decoration and binding, thus giving the codices a uniform appearance. For this reason, the question of binding is treated in detail, particularly with regard to the design of books according to a coherent aesthetic concept.
A final area is the end of Schreier’s enterprise and his impact on other book artists. His ideas lived on in the work of other illuminators and bookbinders, both in terms of figurative painting and binding.
In connection with the text, an extensive volume of illustrations as well as a work catalogue should create an overview of Schreier’s career, whilst offering more detailed insights into each individually created work of the illuminator and binder.