The university library’s graphic collection

The graphic collection of Wuerzburg university library has no real thematic focus and was not continually growing. It is in fact a conglomeration of private archives, smaller collections donated to the library by university chairs, graphic compilations taken over during secularization and selected objects that were bought for research purposes. The Delineationes, numbered from Delin.I to Delin.XI, are a special collection of original graphics of all kinds. There are architectural sketches, drawings of animals and plants, etchings, historical townscapes and coloured pen drawings of machines. Among the artists are such well-known names like Leonhard Dientzenhofer, Balthasar Neumann, Kaspar Schott or Giovanni Battista and Giandomenico Tiepolo. The graphic prints collection (bookmarks 36/) contains about 700 historical maps and other single sheet woodcuts. The collection Brod (36/B) comprises numerous drawings, graphic prints and posters with franconian motives, the collection Walther von ZurWesten (36/Z) title pages, printer’s imprints and exlibris. The whole graphic collection of Würzburg University library is being digitised and is accessible in our Pictothek.