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.
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
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 Institute for Conservation-Restoration (IKR) at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna for their teamwork and to the MAK Art Society for their operational support of this project.