The Khevenhüller Chronicle—History, Research, and Restoration

Presentation of an extraordinary project at the MAK on the occasion of the 9th European Day of Conservation-Restoration

Participation free of charge with museum ticket
No registration required

Considered to be one of Austria’s most important manuscripts, the Khevenhüller Chronicle was taken up in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme in 2024. The sumptuously illustrated work from the 17th century blends family history, art, and contemporaneous history into a singular panorama of the early modern period. Its exceptional gouaches document castles, landscapes, fashion, handiwork, and early production sites and provide fascinating insights into Austria’s cultural and economic development during the nascent industrial era.

The lively (his)story of this masterwork preserved in the MAK will be presented: from its significance and genesis and its laborious restoration, digitalization, and transcription, up to and including the exemplary collaboration between the MAK, Castle Hochosterwitz, and the Institute for Conservation-Restoration (IKR) at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Sun, 18.10.2026 11 am — 1 pm

MAK – Museum of Applied Arts

PROGRAM

11 am
Welcome
Lilli Hollein, General Director, MAK

11.10 am
Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Head of MAK Library and Works on Paper Collection/Archive
The historical book holdings of the MAK’s Library and Works on Paper Collection. The Khevenhüller Chronicle in the context of the historical collection

11.20 am
Anne Biber, Head of MAK Conservation and Workshops
A bridge between past and future. The MAK’s restoration department

11.30 am
Beate Murr, paper restorer, MAK
History and stories—The Khevenhüller Chronicle

11.50 am
Viktoria Thaller, Paper and book restorer
The restoration of the Khevenhüller Chronicle I—Concept und book block

12.10 pm
Clara Graf, paper and book restorer
The restoration of the Khevenhüller Chronicle II—Book cover und rebinding

12.30 pm
Discussion and questions
Followed by: Presentation of the restored Khevenhüller Chronicle

PROJECT TEAM

MAK:
Anne Biber, Beate Murr, and Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel

Transcription: Larissa Huber
Provenance research: Carina Pammer

Institute for Conservation-Restoration (IKR) at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna:
Sigrid Eyb-Green, Clara Graf, Tabea Harney, Andreas Hartl, Adrien Hofbauer-Bankós, Viktoria Thaller

The MAK Vienna and Castle Hochosterwitz, in cooperation

Special thanks go to the MAK Art Society for their operational support of this project.