Corvinus bindings
Bindings belonging to Matthias Corvinus, King of
Hungary (1458-1490) and famous as a patron of the
arts. The magnificent library which he gathered
together at the royal palace of Budapest contained
manuscripts celebrated as the most marvelous
masterpieces of Italian miniature painting of the
Renaissance. They were executed by the greatest
Florentine miniaturists of the day. These
manuscripts, embellished with gold and colors on
the inside, were adorned with equally superb
bindings, many of which are in red velvet or
morocco leather, decorated with gold tooling,
inlays of leather of a different color. enamel,
and cameos. Some were strongly reminiscent of
Oriental motifs, while others were more Italian in
character. Many manuscripts were also bound in
brocade with bosses and clasps of silver.
In 1526 the king's library, which was estimated at
anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 volumes, was sacked
by the Turks. (347 )
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