Re: VMs: History, Tepenecz

["Manfred Staudinger" <manfrstaudinger@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rene Zandbergen wrote:

> Finally, though, I am extremely interested in  your sources, Manfred. If you
have
> access to some kind of 'accounting' from Rudolph's court, would this include
money
> spent by Rudolph on the various acquisitions of his museum? If there is an entry
> that he spent several hundred ducats on a book, this would be extremely
interesting.
> Of course, he bought hundreds of books. I have looked at the inventory of his
> Wunderkammer (article by Bauer and Haupt about the catalogue discovered in 
> Liechtenstein) and there are lots and lots of books, none of which look like the
> Voynich MS.

Rene, I will use the following abbreviations  here and thereafter:
   HKA = Vienna, Austrian State Archives - Finance- and Aulic Chamber Archive
   HZB = Hofzahlamtsbuch 
The HZB's are kept in the HKA, normally one bulky volume per year, a few missing.
They show the receipts and expenses for the court, total to about 300.000 fl
(Gulden)
per year and were recorded in the HZB by the "Hofzahlamt", part of the aulic
chamber.
Expenses for the emperor were not recorded in the HZB nor did the "Hofzahlamt"
know
about, except in cases where the "Hofzahlamt" was ordered to pay for a certain
reason -
in this case the "Hofzahlamt" got the sum refunded.
The receipts and expenses of the emperor were recorded by a much smaller unit, 
later called the "Kammerzahlamt", but no accounting books survived from Rudolph's
time. I would estimate the budget to be about the same (300.000 fl per year)!
There is however the inventory you mentioned, edited by Bauer and Haupt, which
shows all items in the possession of Rudolph which were given into the
"Schatzkammer"
(I avoid the term "Wunderkammer" because this inventory is structured so well). 
I agree with you, the VMs is not mentioned. But for sure, a book kept in Rudolph's
private rooms will not be included in this inventory.

The first entry for "Jacoben Horschizki" in the HZB is for a payment of 20 fl for
one
month (June 1608) on April 15, 1609. Together with the payment his name was taken
to the payroll by an order of "Ordinanz". (HKA, HZB vol. 60 (1609), fol. 113v)
This means his appointment was between June 1608 and April 1609; it does not mean
he was working from June 1, 1608 onwards. Any difference between the June 1, 1608
and the actual beginning of his service may be considered as a grant.

The second entry for "Jacoben Horzizkhi" I found is for a payment of 80 fl for
four 
month (July to October 1608) in March 1612. (HKA, HZB vol. 62 (1612-14), fol.
342v) 
Please note this is only after the death of Rudolph II. This shows also that
Horczicky was
certainly not in favour of the emperor.

One word to the issue whether Rudolph owned the VMs or not. If he ever had bought
the VMs the cover would show his coat of arms normaly together with a new binding.
I have not seen any codicological description of the cover, the binding or the
leaves
themselves here. In absence of anything what I would consider a positive evidence
of Rudolph's ownership I would say he did not own it. Other opinions are based on
exactly what? 

Regards, Manfred 

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