The Art of Falconry by Frederick II

Emperor Frederick II’s Falcon Book

One of the most important textbooks about falconry and ornithology of the Middle Ages was composed by Emperor Frederick II. The manuscript with the Latin title De arte vanandi cum avibus was written by Frederick II with comments from his son Manfred between 1241 and 1248. One hundred and seventy depictions of human figures illustrate the work. Additionally the book includes pictures from more than 900 types of bird, of twelve horses and thirty-six other animals as well as equipment that is necessary for falconry.

The Historical Background

Fredrick II of the noble Staufer family was the King of Sicily from 1198, the Roman-German King from 1212 and Emperor from 1220 until his death. He was one of the greatest rulers of the Middle Ages. His court developed as an important center of literature and science. The keen ornithologist composed his Falcon Bookusing Arabic sources and his own observations. The text is illustrated with more than nine hundred pictures of over eighty different types of bird. They show the different attitudes of the birds but falconers, their activities, and their tools are also depicted. It also provides information on the operation of a falconry.

Attractive Book Decoration

The Falcon Book has remained the standard work of falconryuntil well into modern times. This is due in particular to the scientific accuracy and systematic approach of Frederick, who worked with empirical methods and was thus far ahead of his contemporaries. Several experiments on his study of admired birds make his work unique, but his wonderful illustrations also contribute to the extraordinary fame of the book. The fully illuminated manuscript shows images of unsurpassed closeness to nature and precision. Though landscape and architectural scenery is consistent with contemporary style, the inclusion of over nine hundred pictures of birds is a novelty. A previously unknown realism is achieved in the pictures – from the appearance to the specific attitudes of the various bird types. The original issue of the Falcon Book can be found today in the apostolic library in the Vatican.