A Virgin, a Lineage, and an Elector: Ancestry and Imagery in Thüringer Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Ms. 22

Abstract

Created between 1500 and 1505 and acquired by Elector Frederick the Wise, Jena, Thüringer Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, Ms. 22, an early Habsburg-Burgundian manuscript, is distinguished for its large collection of masses by Pierre de la Rue. Manuscripts that left the Habsburg-Burgundian workshops often boasted impressive artwork, including splendid borders, inked calligraphic initials, and intricate miniatures. The artists who painted the miniatures frequently offered a stunning visual portrayal of the music’s theme. At first glance, JenaU 22 appears slighted in this respect, since the choirbook contains only one miniature. Furthermore, this miniature, which accompanies Jacob Obrecht’s Missa Sicut spina rosam, is placed unusually late-on fol. 102-seemingly as an afterthought. Despite much commentary on the cantus firmus, musical structure, date, and origin of the Missa Sicut spina rosam, the miniature accompanying this mass has been overlooked. Yet by examining the intricate correlation between the miniature and the themes in Obrecht’s mass, this paper suggests that the image/mass combination reflects upon the doctrine of the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception, one of the most contentious theological debates of the early sixteenth century. The subtle aural and visual theological clues found in JenaU 22 point almost prophetically to important themes that run not only throughout Frederick’s impressive collection, but the entire corpus of Habsburg-Burgundian manuscripts.