Drawn to Paris

Sketch record of Paris buildings & street

scenes from the 2nd half of the 19th century

Title: Vieille enseigne à l'ours rue du faugourg St Antoine n° 95
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1894
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 11ème Arrondissement
Format: dess. sur calque appliqué : plume et encre, aquarelle ; 24,4 x 15,5 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Un coin de la cour des Prévots, rue Charlemagne
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1890s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier beige : crayon, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache rose ; 24,9 x 14,3 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie






Title: Tourelle au coin de la rue du Temple et de la rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1870s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle, plume et encre ; 24,2 x 12 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue St Louis en l'Isle n° 10
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: ~1880s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 4ème arrondissement
Format: dessin sur papier rosé : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache rose ; 23,3 x 16 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue Pirouette 1893
Designed by: Hubert Clerget
Date: 1893
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France)
Format: dessin : encre, plume, aquarelle ; 19 x 13,4 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue Mondétour
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1893
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 1er et 2ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bistre : encre, plume, aquarelle ; 21,6 x 11,7 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Tour de l'ancien Prieuré de St Martin des champs - La fontaine des Arts et métiers rue St Denis au coin de la rue Vert Bois
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier beige : plume et encre de Chine, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache blanche ; 22,6 x 13,3 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue Lepic à Montmartre - Entrée du Moulin Debray (Bal public)
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 17ème et 18ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier beige : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 26,4 x 14,8 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue Cortot à Montmartre, au coin de la rue du Mont Cenis : 18è Clignancourt
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1879
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 17ème et 18ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bleu : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 26,6 x 14,6 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Rue Boutebrie, chiffonniers
Designed by: Hubert Clerget
Date: 1850
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 5ème arrondissement
Format: dessin : crayon, aquarelle, plume et encre ; 24,3 x 15,6 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Porte rue Quincampoix n° 12
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1879
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier beige : crayon, mine de plomb, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache rose ; 21,4 x 14 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Pont de St Cloud
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1887
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- Environs de Paris. Lieux de A à V
Format: dessin sur papier beige : crayon, aquarelle ; 28,5 x 20 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Poele dans le vestibule de l'hotel de la rue de Braque n° 4 (en plâtre et fayence attribué à Germain : 3e Temple Archives
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1895
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : crayon noir, aquarelle, plume et encre, lavis d'encre de Chine ; 29,2 x 19,9 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Pavillon chinois, tiré du Jardin turc
Designed by: unidentified
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : plume et encre, lavis d'encre de Chine ; 28,4 x 21,8 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Passage St Pierre, ancien charnier St Paul au fond de la voûte, la rue St Paul
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1883
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier beige : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache ; 23 x 17,2 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Paris Montmartre : 18è Clignancourt
Designed by: Auguste Louis Marie Ottin
Date: 1883
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 17ème et 18ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : crayon, aquarelle, plume et encre ; 35 x 25 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Notre Dame vue du quai de l'hotel de Ville
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache ; 24,9 x 13,7 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: N° 16 rue du fouarre : "Une des dernières maisons de la rue, elle est encadrée par des maisons neuves avec eau, ascenseur, gaz, etc"
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1894
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 5ème arrondissement
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache ; 23,5 x 13,2 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: La rue St Bon, escalier qui conduit à la rue de la Verrerie
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1891
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : lavis d'encre brune, crayon, aquarelle ; 35,7 x 19,9 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: La rue du Mont-Cenis descendante et perspective
de la rue St Rustique : 18è Buttes Montmartre - Clignancourt
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1895
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 17ème et 18ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 26 x 18,5 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: La rue des 7 voies au coin de la rue de l'école polythecnique
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France)
Format: dessin : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 27,1 x 12,8 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: La Bièvre sort de la rue de Tolbiac pour longer à découvert la rue de la Glacière
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1882
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- Arrondissement (13e)
Format: dessin sur papier brun : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 23,9 x 21,1 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Hotel Vaucanson rue de Charonne n° 51
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1882
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 10ème, 11ème, 12ème, 13ème et 14ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bleu : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 23,5 x 13,3 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Grand escalier de l'Opéra
Designed by: Hubert Clerget
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 6ème, 7ème, 8ème et 9ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier gris : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 27,2 x 22,4 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Fontaine carrefour des rues Poliveau, Geoffroy St hilaire et des fossés St Marcel
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1890
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 5ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bleu : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache ; 26,8 x 16,8 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Entrée du Couvent des Missions étrangères, rue du Bac 128 derrière l'Eglise des Missions
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1887
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 6ème, 7ème, 8ème et 9ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bleu : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre, gouache ; 24,8 x 18,6 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Démolitions au 56 rue du Cardinal Lemoine au coin de la rue Clovis
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1886
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 5ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier vert : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache blanche ; 23,6 x 16,2 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: De la porte St Denis à la porte St Martin
Designed by: Vincent Blatter
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle ; 34,5 x 22,6 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Cette arcade qui faisait partie des bâtiments de la Préfecture
de Police fut transportée en ... au Musée Carnavalet ou elle figure
comme porte d'entrée sur la rue des francs-Bourgeois
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1890
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 1er et 2ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle ; 35,5 x 19,5 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Belle porte 16 rue des Archives
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1883
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : crayon noir, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache rose ; 23,6 x 15,7 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Aux Tuilleries
Designed by: Auguste Louis Marie Ottin
Date: 1884
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 1er et 2ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle ; 35,3 x 25 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: Appartement de Madame de Récamier, rue de la chaussée d'Antin, salle de repos tenant à celle des bains
Designed by: Charles Percier
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 6ème, 7ème, 8ème et 9ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle, plume ; 28,8 x 21,5 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: 51 A Darsy 51 Papiers en gros : l' Hotel Bullion 51 rue J. J. Rousseau
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 1er et 2ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier rosé : crayon graphite, aquarelle ; 22,6 x 14,9 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: 21 rue de l'Hotel-Dieu
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1881
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier rosé : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache blanche ; 23,3 x 16 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie





Title: 16 rue Séguier
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 6ème, 7ème, 8ème et 9ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier rosé : crayon, aquarelle, lavis d'encre brune, rehauts de gouache ; 23 x 15 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

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Jules-Adolphe Chauvet (1828-1906) was a French draughtsman, printmaker and illustrator who apprenticed with the theatrical set designer, Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri*. Among a wide portfolio, Chauvet is particularly noted for three diverse bodies of illustrative work.

Obviously, the collection of sketches of buildings and urban scenes in Paris, seen above, constitutes a substantial record of period streetscapes. Chauvet also provided book engravings for such classics as Horace; and, finally, there appears to be a considerable legacy of erotic prints by Chauvet that was distributed privately through a Belgian publishing house.

There are more than 1400 sketches in the Chauvet Collection, available online at BnF's digital library, Gallica.

The views from the Chauvet Collection chronicle architectural history and street life across about three decades in the second half of the 19th century. The drawings provide something of a snapshot of changes with building demolition and renovation in Paris under the direction of Georges-Eugène Haussmann*.

The vast majority of the collection was commissioned from Chauvet by a rich benefactor, Auguste Lesouëf, and the drawings were produced in all of the twenty municipalities (arrondissements) of Paris, although with some specific districts covered more extensively than others. The site sketches were often completed or embellished afterwards. Lesouëf also collected contemporary sketches of Parisian street scenes and the online image set (a small percentage of the original Lesouëf collection) features about 10% of drawings by artists other than Jules-Adolphe Chauvet.

The Chauvet Collection was digitised and placed online in May 2012. The Gallica blog post from the time provides some extensive commentary about the collection's origins and the major artists and collectors involved {translation}.

Previously of particular note in the BibliOdyssey archives [VIA] --::- Paris Boulevards (by M-Potémont, 1877) --<>-- Designer France (architecture/design from ~1700) --<>-- Paris in the 19th Century (various).

This post first appeared on the BibliOdyssey website.

[re: the above images -- some background staining has been reduced; a few of the images were spliced together from screen captures and, whenever it was fairly easy, the library stamp(!) was removed from the posted image]

Uppercase Treasure

Flamboyant lettering graphics

by Paulus Franck from his 1601 book,

'Schatzkammer Allerhand Versalien Lateinisch vnnd Teutsch'

(A Treasure Trove of Latin and German Uppercase Letters

{via BSB}

In the late 1500s, a Nuremberg publisher/bookkeeper named Conrad Bauer combed through the books from his local region, hoping to compile a selection of elegant fonts. He wasn't particularly satisfied with his findings; there weren't enough stylish scripts around to meet his exacting standards. Although he admired the beauty and geometrical shaping of Albrecht Dürer's Latin fonts, for instance, Bauer thought there was a lack of usable Germanic scripts of similar high quality. And so, what appears to have begun as Bauer's quest to outfit a personal collection of typeforms, evolved from a dearth of suitable fonts into a new book publishing venture.

Bauer's intended book, featuring all the alphabetic scripts he admired, soon found financial backing from some local businessmen. The reason for publishing such a book evolved into a desire to teach young people how to use and enjoy distinctive alphabetic forms. Bauer wanted an all-in-one copybook, schoolbook and 'handwriting'-trade modelbook of sorts. A Memmingen schoolteacher - Paulus Franck - joined the project, but it's difficult to pin down with any certainty his role in the enterprise. Beyond the classroom, Franck had a sideline skill with arithmetic, and he would do basic freelance numeracy work for businesses (as a 'reckoner' or 'calculator'), but that skill would be unlikely to impress a team wanting to showcase aesthetic scripts. From the couple of sources reviewed for this post, no mention is made of Franck possessing any specialised artistic talent. Yet Paulus Franck *is* the named author of the book. Perhaps he functioned as project manager and used his teaching experience to ensure the designers and illustrators didn't deviate from the educational aims of the book production? Ultimately, the published book consisted of a title page, a 2-page introduction by Conrad Bauer and approximately 75 pages of decorative initials. I've convinced myself, in those circumstances, that Franck had a more direct role in the illustration design process, so as to warrant his authorship. It's harmless conjecture at any rate. [ADDIT: I am informed that somewhere along the line I have misunderstood some translation or reading. Paulus Franck was known to possess artistic skills and he did indeed produce all the type specimens in the book]

One of the most surprising aspects of the Franck/Bauer book is that the ostentatious letter graphics were printed from woodcuts (produced from carved woodblocks). But that sort of detailed flourish and embellishment is usually associated with copperplate engraving, as far as I've ever seen. A short biography of Paulus Franck, linked within the Bavarian State Library site, specifically names the book's graphical printing system as woodcuts ("Holz geschnitten"). Slight evidence of this woodcut technique is otherwise implied by the lack of plate marks around the printed graphics. The high pressure required to transfer an image from an inked copperplate engraving to a sheet of paper in a printing press, almost always leaves behind marks at the margin of the illustration plate. [engraving is an intaglio printmaking technique where the illustration lines are cut into the surface; woodcuts, by contrast, are relief prints where the illustration lines are raised up and thus require less pressure to force ink onto a page. see: What is a Print?] There's no indication that these images were cropped and remounted which might plausibly hide the plate marks. At first, I believed the overall graphical forms were printed by the popular goldsmith-led engraving technique of the era called blackwork printing (another type of copperplate engraving with deeper gouging and very black line-forms). But they are not; they are woodcut illustrations executed by a superbly skilled print artist.

In the introduction, Bauer provides the reader/viewer with brief notes about the distinguishing features of, and recommended uses for, the seven classes of capital letter scripts that are printed - in order - in the book. (note that the images above are not in the same order in which they appear in the book) The first alphabet features curls and coils and is intended for use in coats of arms and feudal land deeds. The second form bears a doublet pattern of main strokes for use in epitaphs and plaques. The third group - a Gothic style - was intended to be used by scribes in general letter writing. The fourth set comprises easy to learn, wide and short letters, whose application is not stated as far as I'm aware. The fifth group contains a variety of Germanic scripts that can be deployed in many situations. The sixth group is made up of Latin majuscules* (means ~uppercase) in which Bauer appropriated the cursive variant that appealed to him which had been used in heraldic devices by writers in Italy, France and The Netherlands. The final set contained letters for bookeepers to use in margin notes, but the majority within this group was made up of variants of the letters 'I' and 'J', frequently used in legal documents to commence sentences or paragraphs (I = 'Ich' in German, for eg.).

• 'Schatzkammer Allerhand Versalien Lateinisch vnnd Teutsch' 1601 by Paulus Franck was digitised and placed online at the Bavarian State Library about 6 months ago. [a translation of the shortened title approximates as: 'A Treasure Trove of Latin and German Upper Case Letters'.
• I am very grateful for the translation assistance provided by Maren H: this post would not be here if not for her efforts at untangling the Middle German in the introduction and translating the Franck entry at the German Biography site (from an incredibly well-hidden link out of BSB!). If there are inaccuracies in this post, they are likely due to a restricted amount of research material available. I'm sure there is more around, but the ambiguity of Franck's name spelling, translation bumps and general esoteric nature and age of the material amounts to a bridge too far for this website. (but see below for a little contextual commentary) THANKS MAREN!
• The 'Treasure Trove' book has seen something of a revival in recent years. A reproduction of the Franck original was issued in 1998 and the Paulus Franck font (Fraktur, I think) is available from many typography sites for download.
• 'Schatzkammer Allerhand Versalien Lateinisch vnnd Teutsch' 1998 at Amazon.
• Previously: calligraphy.
• This post first appeared on the BibliOdyssey website.

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The following quote is edited for context and comes from: 'The Domain of Images' 2001 by James Elkins from Cornell University Press -

"A number of ordinary scripts have been pushed toward illegibility by excessive ornamentation attached to the "outside" of letterforms. A recent example is the German cursive script called Kurrent, which was the handwritten cursive form of Fraktur, the characteristically German "Gothic" style in use through World War II. In Renaissance practice, Kurrent involved fanciful ligatures and - even more of an obstruction to reading - repeated marks that could be taken for the spikes and curls of [some] lowercase letters. The result must have been unintelligible to the untrained eye, as a word such as und (and) might be spelled unndt, and then those letters multiplied by supernumary spikes, creating a nearly incomprehensible shape.

The history of monograms is another instance of calligraphic force applied to letters from the "outside", in this case bending and knotting them into nearly illegible pictorial shapes. In Charles Demengeot's 'Dictionnaire du chiffre-monogramme' (1881), the letters of the name Hyacinthe are bolted, pierced, sawn and knotted around one another, in imitation of wood, paper and metal.

Calligraphy that works from the inside an be even more violent and less amenable to ordinary reading. The renaissance of such calligraphy took place in Nuremberg in 1601-1602, when three closely related books appeared in quick succession, each demonstrating letterforms more intricately fractured than any before or since. Anton Neurdorffer, the most important of the three authors, had to offer his readers step-by-step instructions for creating letterforms; without them his concoctions would resemble birds' nests more than letters.

Another of the authors, Paul Franck, produced an outlandish book of capitals so ornate they could scarcely be recognised - or used. [remarking on one example by Franck seen in the book, our author says:] It helps to think of a German "Gothic" letter M, but even then it looks more like a monstrous thorn bush than a letter. Some of the letters, such as the I, outgrow the book itself and are printed on folding plates. There are several mid-century editions of Franck's book (for eg. Nuremberg: P. Fursten, 1650) all derived from his 'Schatzkammer' ".
[the third author of that 1601-1602 period trio is Christoph Fabius Brechtel: 'Kurtze vnnd getrewe vnterweissung der fürnēsten Teutschen Hauptbuchstaben' (1602) - but there is no commentary on Brechtel in the extract I was able to obtain from the Elkins book]

Embellished Matriculation Manuscripts

"The Matriculation Register of the Basel Rectorate, recorded in manuscript form from 1460 to 2000, contains semester and annual information notices added by each successive rector as well as lists of enrolled students, thus providing an important resource for the history of the University of Basel. In addition, Vol. 1 contains records in illustrations and text of the opening of the university. The rich book decoration in the first three volumes is particularly notable. The work of 3 centuries, it is easily datable due to the chronogical order in which it was added and thus provides a welcome demonstration of the art of miniature painting in Basel."

A selection of manuscript page images shown below come from the first three matriculation volumes, covering the period 1460 to 1764, courtesy of Basel University Library. The three volumes are in order from oldest to newest, but the sequence of images displayed from each volume is - fairly obviously - not in date order. Under each image is the name of the rector in charge and their service period, corresponding to the approximate production date of the manuscript page decoration.

Rector Christoph von Utenheim (1473/74)

Rector Ulrich Coccius (1563/64)

Rector Augustin Lutenwang (1510/11)

Rector Werner Schlierbach (1506/07)

Rector Melchior von Baden (1496)

Rector William Greaves (1493)

Rector Heinrich Vogt (1490/91)

Rector St. John Siber (1487/88)

Rector Otto Blades (1472)

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The above images...
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 3: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567)
Link to e-codices overview page & access to digitised manuscript of Volume 1.
The manuscript and images remain the property of Basel University Library,  are covered by a CC 3.0 license and appear here with permission.

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Rector St. John Brandmüller (1587/88)

Rector Felix Platter II (1651/52)

Rector Johann Jakob Faesch (1630/31)

Rector Martin Chmieleck (1613/14)

Rector Thomas Cook (1602/03)

Rector Sebastian Beck (1617/18)

Rector Heinrich Justus (1599/1600)

Rector Emanuel Stupanus (1631/32)

Rector Johann Rudolf Burckhardt (1620/21)

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The above images...
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 4: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 2 (1586-1653)
Link to e-codices overview page & access to digitised manuscript of Volume 2.
The manuscript and images remain the property of Basel University Library, are covered by a CC 3.0 license and appear here with permission.

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Rector Johann Friedrich Burckhardt (1665/66)

Rector Christopher Faesch (1672/73)

Rector James Rudin (1676/77)

Rector Luke Gernler (1659/60)

Rector Peter Falkeisen (1655/56)

Rector Jacob Burckhardt II (1698/99)

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The above images...
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 4a: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 3 (1654-1764)
Link to e-codices overview page & access to digitised manuscript of Volume 3.
The manuscript and images remain the property of Basel University Library are covered by a CC 3.0 license and appear here with permission.

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In addition to providing a chronological record of academic life at the University, these beautiful Basel matriculation manuscripts show differences in tastes, customs and directives of the many rectors in charge of the institution and cultural developments in the local territory. As official documentary records, these books may well have been the subject of outside inspection (benefactors, nobility, religious leaders &c), so political considerations will have influenced the nature of the content at any given time as well. There are periods where calligraphic flourishing is missing for whatever reason. Introductions for each teaching semester (in verse or prose, alphabetic or seasonal) varied in style and length as rectors and decades rolled along. The decoration of the manuscripts, although obviously extensive, was tamped down or sparse, in some periods: in particular, during the religious upheavals of the Reformation in the 16th century.

The manuscripts are also priceless catalogues of three centuries of (the presumably) regional artist output. Some of the artists/scribes are listed in the descriptions that accompany each manuscript, although they are often only identified ("artist Hand-B" &c) rather than being specifically named. Among other forms of decoration, the matriculation volumes contain cryptic allegorical motifs, elaborate coats of arms (they dominate), embellished grotesque and baroque architectural structures, cartouches and occasional rector and faculty portraits. Many of these border designs and frames serve to visually enhance mottoes, a rector's c.v., poetic verses and the like. Obviously additions have been made over the centuries and not all of the contents can be accurately dated or attributed. In one instance, a rhyming couplet of verse accompanied by the initials SB was added and is judged to have been inserted by the renowned Sebastian Brandt (of 'Ship of Fools' fame), who taught law at the university towards the end of the 16th century. All the text, throughout each of the manuscripts, is in Latin.

The only outside commentary I could find mentions that one of the painted miniatures among these matriculation volumes shows some evidence (esoteric specifics about a room seemingly filled with pieces of art - image 5th from bottom) that Basel University was one of the earliest places to evolve from the personal collector mentality - kunstkammer* - towards public educational displays of artifacts in the form of galleries and museums.

These manuscripts are owned by Basel University Library and are posted online through the e-codices portal: the Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland. Some 40+ Swiss libraries contribute materials for display through this outstanding multi-institutional website. It should be noted that e-codices are very particular about rights and permissions in relation to their clients' works and I would strongly advise you to contact the specific client institution and seek prior permission to display or reuse any of their materials. This is mostly to do with monitoring their national heritage and ensuring proper attribution for the works are used. I have happily corresponded with a few of their libraries and the central portal in the past without incident.

• Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 3: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567)
• Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 4: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 2 (1586-1653
• Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 4a: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 3 (1654-1764)
• Addit: A [pdf] article about Basel's early collector culture with small reference to this series (in Deutsch).
• Previously: Illuminated | Switzerland.
• This post first appeared on the BibliOdyssey website.