MUNICH.- The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München shows a comprehensive presentation of the early period of European printmaking in its exhibition spaces at the Pinakothek der Moderne. The focus here will be on one-sided, single-leaf woodcuts of the late medieval period from Munich’s collection. These are not just some of the earliest examples of German printmaking, but of European printmaking altogether. The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München holds over one of the most important collections of 15th-century German single-leaf woodcuts worldwide.

The development of the woodcut technique is closely linked to that of paper. Starting in Nuremberg, paper has been manufactured in Germany since roughly 1390. The earliest extant woodcuts on this inexpensive material were produced shortly thereafter in 1410. These early prints heralded the first medial revolution and the era of reproduction. The woodcut technique enabled the quick and economical multiplication of hitherto unique images; editions of at least a hundred, but usually far more, prints became possible. Illustrative images thus became accessible and affordable for a far broader segment of society.

However, only the meagre remains of this former abundance have survived to this day. These prints were mostly used for everyday religious purposes—such as private prayer or as cultic images to protect the faithful—and thus were only preserved by chance.

The largest part of the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München’s collection comes from the former collections of various monasteries. Due to the secularization of 1803, the precursor of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek came into possession of some of the most exquisite manuscripts and books. The early prints glued into these volumes were extracted after 1835 and transferred to the care of the royal print collection of the time. Today, usually only a single, unique copy remains of these woodblocks, which were once printed in the hundreds.

The regions of Bavaria and Salzburg were especially important for the development of the earliest single-leaf woodcuts. The prints conveyed to us through the monasteries collections—some prints come from around Altomünster, Fürstenfeld, Indersdorf, Reichenhall, or Tegernsee—count as some of the oldest examples of their kind. “Few other collections in the world apart from Munich’s Staatliche Graphische Sammlung could even present more than a handful of such exemplars” (Dieter Kuhrmann, 1970). The cradle of European printmaking has been proudly preserved in Munich.

The so-called “Gulden Püchlein”—a manuscript dated 1450 from the library of the Nuremberg Dominicans adorned with 66 woodblock prints—is one of the most important preserved manuscripts with woodblocks glued into them. The restoration of this manuscript in 2012/2013 was made possible through the generous support of the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, and the newly restored manuscript will be on view in the exhibition after years of being inaccessible to the public. The volume has been preserved at the Staatsbibliothek München since 1921 as a permanent loan to the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München and will likewise be on view.

The exhibition will present roughly 90 works in addition to the “Gulden Püchlein.” The collection has been supplemented by loans from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, the Landesmuseum Württemberg Stuttgart, and various private collections.

Curator: Dr. Achim Riether