Housebook of Wolfegg Castle

A housebook is a manuscript commissioned by the noble elite or wealthy citizens with a pedagogic content.

Housebooks are invaluable for historical studies because they are unique sources of information about late medieval life.

63 of the original 98 parchment leaves (25 × 15 cm) of the Wolfegg housebook have been preserved, of which 47 are colored pen drawings.

The themes of the illustrations range from the client's family crest (though the client is unknown) to technical illustrations in the tradition of Bellifortis (home, craft and military equipment, mining technology as well as military strategies).

The book has various sections: For many centuries the manuscript was in the possession of the House of Waldburg-Wolfegg (see Wolfegger Kabinett) before it was sold to an unknown collector in 2007.