"The Jewel Book of Anna von Bayern"
Kleinodienbuch der Herzogin Anna von Bayern

 Thanks to Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria (1528-1579) and his wife, the Archduchess Anna von Bayern (1610-1665) who documented their collection of extravagant jewellery, by commissioning a manuscript/inventory of the “BLING”  in their possession, thus giving us a historical insight into Renaissance jewellery long after the precious gems have been recut, reset or lost. 

The manuscript contained over a hundred gorgeous paintings on vellum and paper by Hans Mielich (1516-1573), a court painter from Munich who completed the work between 1552 and 1555.  The work was presented to the Bavarian State Library by King Ludwig I in 1843.

 Apart from the brilliant documentation of these jewels, one’s eye is also drawn to the truly amazing borders of classical and Renaissance ornamentation by Mielich.