Follow the collection

Bibliotheca Corviniana, then and now

Start at the original library, follow the surviving objects to their present holders, and open their digitized pages side by side. Every transition stays attached to its source.

01 · Origin

The original library

Bibliotheca Corviniana, Buda, Hungary. About 1460.

Enter the library record and any real or reconstructed views

Breviary of Matthias Corvinus, Vatican Library, Urb.Lat.112. Attavante degli Attavanti, CC BY-SA 4.0
Use this photo
Breviary of Matthias Corvinus, Vatican Library, Urb.Lat.112. Photo: Attavante degli Attavanti, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Br%C3%A9viaire_de_Matthias_Corvin_en_exposition_-_BAV_Urb.Lat.112.JPG
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What happened here

1460Matthias starts collecting for Buda library · source
1513Viennese humanists (Gremper, Cuspinianus, Brassicanus) transfer codices from Buda to Vienna · source
1526Books taken to Istanbul after Mohacs (1526); some saved earlier by Viennese humanists · source

Where the books are now

Surviving items, by the institution that holds them today. Each line has its source and how well it is proven.

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Vienna, Austria
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 40
primary corvina.hu IIIF manifest
National Széchényi Library Budapest, Hungary
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 37
primary corvina.hu
Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana Florence, Italy
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 33
primary corvina.hu
Biblioteca Estense Universitaria Modena, Italy
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 14
primary corvina.hu
Vatican Library Vatican City
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 12
primary corvina.hu IIIF manifest
Herzog August Library Wolfenbüttel, Germany
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 9
primary corvina.hu
Bavarian State Library Munich, Germany
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 8
primary corvina.hu
Bibliothèque nationale de France Paris, France
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets Count: 7
primary corvina.hu

03 · Survival

The present holders

Österreichische NationalbibliothekVienna, Austria
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 40 items.
primary Evidence IIIF manifest
National Széchényi LibraryBudapest, Hungary
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 37 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed
Biblioteca Medicea LaurenzianaFlorence, Italy
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 33 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed
Biblioteca Estense UniversitariaModena, Italy
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 14 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed
Vatican LibraryVatican City
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 12 items.
primary Evidence IIIF manifest
Herzog August LibraryWolfenbüttel, Germany
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 9 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed
Bavarian State LibraryMunich, Germany
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 8 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed
Bibliothèque nationale de FranceParis, France
Corvinas, counted from the programme data sheets, 7 items.
primary EvidenceIIIF manifest still needed

04 · Comparison

One desk, many surviving copies

Choose two holders, then turn their pages together. The desk reads IIIF v2 and v3 manifests cached at build time; images still come from the holding institutions.

Open the reading desk with 2 holders