charters of coats of arms, Corvina library, studiolo

Miklós Imreffy
Miklós Oláh
the coats-of-arms of the Sánkfalvi, Heői, Hereni and Lázói family
Marlianus codex
Hieronymus codex 3.
Miscellanea codex
charters of coats of arms

In Sigismund's time it became customary to commemorate the donation of nobility or of coats of arms in a decorative charter that also contained the coat of arms itself. Sometimes the charter was issued in more than one copies, and the coat of arms was painted on each of them. These charters of coats of arms were the most representative products of the royal chancellery.

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Corvina library

King Matthias developed the royal library into a world-famous collection. It was situated in the eastern wing of the palace, in the rooms next to the chapel. There were a lot of codices in the collection which the king bought in Italy, but he had Flemish, Czech, and even Greek manuscripts as well. After 1476 Matthias ordered luxurious manuscripts in great quantities from workshops in Florence, Naples and Lombardy. His most famous supplier was the Florentine Attavante workshop. Matthias also had a miniature workshop established in Buda by Italian miniators. The Corvinas were bound in decorated, pressed, and guilded leather covers. The library was dispersed after the Turkish conquest, and the majority of the books were destroyed.

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studiolo

The Italian name for a studio, one of the most intimate parts of palaces. Usually it was a small chamber decorated with intarsia wainscoting, wall cupboards, and paintings. The theme of the decoration generally referred to the arts, and frequently included representations of muses, virtues, and elements. A similar studiolo is known to have been next to the library in Matthias' palace in Buda.

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