Gothic Architecture: Catalogue of the World-Largest Collection of Gothic Architectural Drawings in the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (English and German Edition)

Standing speechless with admiration before the marvel of a Gothic cathedral, do we not wonder at the achievements of the great master builders and the late mediaeval stonemasons' lodges? The secrets that lie within these awe-inspiring structures started as drawings on parchment. The Graphic Collection of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna is fortunate enough to possess the world's largest collection of original Gothic 14th- and 15th-century architectural drawings. Art historian Johann Josef Boker has for the first time collated and commented this priceless collection of 428 drawings. In the history of art, his research constitutes an event of prime importance, providing a new basis for examining the history of Gothic architecture. No future researcher can afford to ignore it; no lover of Gothic art should neglect the opportunity to gain access to these treasures - 464 pages of architectural drawings presented in four-colour print, together with historical black-and-white photographs of the buildings themselves. Judged Austria's Finest Book in 2005, the collection, now restored and digitized, received a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award.