Sumberg, Samuel L.: The Nuremberg Schembart carnival (New York: Columbia University Press, 1941)

12

CHARACTER OF SCHEMBART MSS

trations of the popular Gesellenstechen and other festivals.17 The
Schembartlauf, by its very nature, forms a fitting subject for
costume plates like those of the Trachtenbucher, costume books
of the Sixteenth Century which were devoted to what Max Herr-
mann has called "die echt renaissancemassige Selbstverherr-
lichung."18 In the Schembart MSS the costume worn in each cele-
bration of the carnival is described in the text and the Ldujer
is figured at full length in this costume. The costume book surpass-
ing all others is the grandly conceived MS compiled by a scribe
of Nuremberg, Sigmundt Heldt, between 1560 and 1580.19 While
the text is merely a "Vorrede" with a moralizing comment on the
exaggeration of dress, there are no less than 867 miniatures, in
which all groups are represented in their characteristic costumes:

lists of names and other documentary material. The coats of arms themselves form

the subject of armorials, Wappenbucher, which often contain hundreds of emblems

in full color with some related text. Jost Amman's Wapen vnd Stammbuch (Frank-

fort am Mayn/ in verlegung Sigmundt Feyrabends, 1589), shows some sixty

figures, each with his heraldic arms and a conventional quatrain.

" For miniatures of tournaments cf. MSS Nos. 14, 44, 47, 49, 51. The Turnier-

biicher also present a chronicle and miniatures of the Geschlechter and their em-

blems, but are more definitely concerned with the annals of wars, duels, and tour-

naments. Cf. G. Leidinger, Miniaturen aus Handschriften der Kgl. Hof- und Staats-

bibliothek in Munchen (Miinchen: Riehn & Tietze, 1912-28), Heft 3, for a de-

scription of the Turnierbuch of Duke William IV of Bavaria (1541); further Lipper-

heide, Nos. 2881-7. The most sumptuous MS of this type is the Freydal (1502?),

one of the cycle of works executed for the versatile Maximilian I, describing and

picturing his own exploits under the headings of "Rennen, Stechen, Kampf, Mum-

merei," cf. Quirin v. Leitner, Kaiser Maximilians I Turniere und Mummereien

(Wien: A. Holzhausen, 1880-2), cited below as "Freydal."

18 Cf. Max Herrmann, "Bilder aus dem Kinderleben des 16. Jahrhunderts," Mit-
teilungen der Gesellschaft fur deutsche Erziehungs- und Schulgeschichte, XX (1910),
127; Herrmann (Forschungen), pp. 104-13. Herrmann suggests (ibid., p. 106) that
these costume books originated in the very practical business of keeping an illus-
trated record of accounts for costumes worn at court. Herrmann's reference (ibid.,
pp. 108-10) to a Trachtenbuch by Christoph Weiditz bore fruit in the publication
of a MS by Th. Hampe, Das Trachtenbuch des Christoph Weiditz, von seinen
Reisen nach Spanien (1529) und den Niederlanden (1531-2) (Berlin: Walter de
Gruyter, 1927), cited below as "Hampe (Weiditz)." A copy of this work, which
was written in 1534, is in the New York Public Library, Spencer Collection; cf.
also Lipperheide, I, No. 7, with one illustration (p. 12): "Die Wilden Leuth aus
Brasilien." Jost Amman encompassed the world in the 220 engravings and
quatrains of his Trachtenbuch (1577, copy in New York Public Library, Spencer
Collection); while his Gynaeceum or Frawenzimmer (1586) consists of 122 plates
of the women of all ranks and nations, with descriptive quatrains, cf. Jost Amman,
Im frawenzimmer wirt vermeldt von allerley schonen kleidungen vnnd trachten der
weiber, etc. (Miinchen: G. Hirth, 1880, facsimile reprint).

19 Cf. Herrmann (Forschungen), pp. 111-13-