Solothurner Fechtbuch (Cod.S.554)

Das Solothurner Fechtbuch
Cod.S.554, Zentralbibliothek Solothurn Solothurn, Switzerland
Plate 14
Hagedorn Leng 38.3.7
Wierschin Hils —
Type	Fencing manual Wrestling manual
Date	ca. 1506 - 1514
Language(s)	Early New High German
Author(s)	Paulus Kal
Illustrator(s)	Unknown
Material	Paper, in a 16th-century leather binding and brass furniture
Size	62 folia
Format	Double-sided; one uncaptioned illustration per side
Exemplar(s)	Cgm 1507 (ca. 1470)
Previously kept	Friedrich Fiala of Basil (1884)
External data	Library catalog entry
Treatise scans	Microfilm scans (1000x1300) Microfilm scans (600x850)

The Codex S.554 is an early 16th century copy of Paulus Kal's fencing manual of ca. 1470. The original currently rests in the holdings of the Zentralbibliothek Solothurn in Solothurn, Switzerland. The paper of the manuscript bears a watermark that was used between 1506 and 1514, though it may have been created after that. Unfortunately, the manuscript survives only in fragmentary form: 30 of the original 62 folia remain, including only 57 images.

Kal's treatise consists of a partial redaction of the writings of Johannes Liechtenauer on Kampffechten, Roßfechten, and Bloßfechten, as well as Kal's own teachings on a variety of other weapons. It differs from the works of other followers of Liechtenauer in that instead of offering extensive glosses of the high master's verses, Kal explains them with detailed illustrations. This manuscript appears to be a text-less copy of the Cgm 1507, possibly mediated by the MS KK5126, but with decidedly superior artwork to the other copies of the Kal's treatise.

Contents

As only half of the original manuscript is currently available, this table of content is highly speculative. It has been extrapolated from the archetype and the image numbers found on the remaining pages.

Folio	Contents
1r - 11v	Roßfechten illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise
12r - 28v	Kampffechten illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise
29rv	Illustrations of dueling between a man and a woman from Paulus Kal's treatise
30r - 36r	Longshield illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise
36v - 50r	Bloßfechten illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise
50v - 55r	Dagger illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise
55v - 69r	Grappling illustrations from Paulus Kal's treatise

Gallery

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Additional Resources

• Studer, Charles. Das Solothurner Fechtbuch. Zentralbibliothek Solothurn, 1988.