Od iluminatorstwa do grafiki książkowej. Kilka uwag o graficznych pracach Mistrza Collectarium wawelskiego

Abstract

One of the major consequences following the invention and the introduction of movable type printing was the necessity of retraining of a number of people who had been formerly involved in manuscript and incunabula production and dissemination. This article attempts to analyse the issue of introducing this set of new skills, limiting its scope, however, to illuminators only, or, to be more specific, to one exemplary illuminator - the Master of the Wawel Collectarium. Though this anonymous Cracow-based artist from the first half of the sixteenth century is best known from his illuminating works, also his graphic designs for woodblock prints and metal relief plaque bindings are interesting and artistically accomplished. Taking into account the fact that the most illustrious publications of the time were decorated with the illustrations made after his drawings (Chronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita (Matiae de Mechovia, 1519-1521) and Contenta de vetustatibus Polonorum by Jodocus Lodovicus Decius (1521), it seems absolutely reasonable and worthwhile to investigate his graphic art works activity more thoroughly.