The Balthasar Behem Codex, also known as ''Codex Picturatus'', is a collection of the charters, privileges and statutes of the burghers of the city of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. Compiled in 1505, the codex was named for the chancellor at the time,

Balthasar Behem Balthazar, or variant spellings, may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian animated TV series, 1967-1978 ...

. The book's text is in German, Latin and Polish. It is now held at the library of the Jagiellonian University of Kraków. The bylaws of the guilds are featured in twenty-seven illustrations in the codex and depict both biblical subjects and the daily activities of the Kraków burgher guild members, for example that of bakers, titled in Latin: ''Pistores'', with a subtitle in German: ''Das ist der briff und geseccze der becker von Krakow.'' ("This is the letter and law of the bakers in Cracow"
example in color
, and the text calligraphed in Latin. This kind of illustration - showing the practice of trades - was a tradition with an iconographical history going back to late

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

astronomical Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...

texts showing the " Labours of the Months", pairing a characteristic activity of rural life with the

astrological Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

sign for that month. Historians of culture and art have shown that these illustrations sometimes reflect their iconographical traditions rather than actually depicting contemporary life with accuracy .

External links

JU Library: Bakers' GuildJagiellonian Digital Library link to download full scan of Codex
{{Authority control 1505 works 1505 in Poland History of Kraków Jagiellonian University 16th-century illuminated manuscripts