Publisher's Synopsis
The selected short biographies of Viennese artists of the medieval and early modern period are based on source material from archives in Vienna and Lower Austria that was, in many cases, unpublished until now. The contents of each source are summarized; in the case of sources that have been published, either completely or in part, recommendations for further reading are provided. Spanning the period from the late 13th century to 1530, the author concentrates on the Viennese administrative district, including the inner city and suburbs, as well as neighbouring villages that didn't become part of the city until the late 19th century. Although well-known artists such as Jakob Kaschauer, Hans Puchsbaum and Anton Pilgram are included, artists for whom no specific piece of art can be attributed and whose activity in Vienna was as yet completely unknown are also mentioned. The synopses present biographies of the artists and descriptions of their everyday life, show us their social status and economic situation as seen by the purchase and sale of real estate, by inheritances and promissory notes, and inform us about acquaintances and friendships, commissions and payments - they are a real treasure chest, not only for history of art.
