The Bibliophilic World of Maximilian I

Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair 2020
24 – 26 January 2020

Heribert Tenschert will return to the Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair from 24-26 January with a special exhibition of items from our upcoming catalogue No. 85, Der Wille zum Ruhm, on Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

While the personal and political worlds of this Renaissance statesman were recently explored in a high-profile exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2019, relatively little was said about Maximilian’s books. With a keen sense of legend and myth, Maximilian understood how to employ the medium of book printing to craft his own legacy and expand his influence. 

Among the works on show will be no less than two fully illuminated copies of the incredibly rare first edition of the Theuerdank on vellum, one of three highly ambitious books Maximilian commissioned, and the only one to be completed in his lifetime.

Furthermore, our exhibition in Stuttgart will include 15 outstanding medieval illuminated manuscripts, as well as ten important Hölderlin first editions, most of them unique uncut examples, to celebrate the poet’s 250th birthday.

In business for over 40 years, Heribert Tenschert is the world’s leading dealer in illuminated manuscripts, counting several renowned institutions and discerning private collectors among his clients. He is recognized as an authority in the field of rare books, having published more than 80 detailed scholarly catalogues on items from his collections.