the book copying and miniature workshop of Buda, Paul Ivanich, Hungarian book printing house
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King Matthias' Italian miniator Blandius is already known from 1471. The Florentine Francisco di Lorenzo Roselli also worked in Buda in 1480-1481. The miniature workshop of Buda started to flourish in the 1480s. Its characteristic style shows the influence of various Italian workshops. Francesco de Castello, who decorated the codices of Dominic Kálmáncsehi, studied in Lombardy and Ferrara. Johannes Antonio Cattaneus, who worked for Wladislas II as well, was also from Northern Italy. The librarian of the Corvina library, Felix Ragusinus, was also an expert miniator. There was a book binding workshop besides the miniature workshop, where the beautiful guilded and painted leather covers of the Corvinas were made, and decorated with geometric and ornamental punches and Matthias' coat of arms.
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Paul (Pál) Ivanich (the middle of the 15th century)
He was the first Hungarian book editor and publisher. He was born in Croatia, in the church county of Zagreb. In 1445 he was John Vitéz's court priest at Nagyvárad. He collected the letters and compiled the Epistolarium at the request of Vitéz, and he provided preface and epilogue to the book. He added notes and commentaries to the letters, which showed his great knowledge of classical authors and rhetoric skills. He was also canon of Csázma, and he interpreted for Pope Michael V from the Turkish language.
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the first Hungarian book printing house
Vice chancellor and prepost of Buda, Ladislaus Kárai, was a minister to the Holy See in 1470, and he invited Andrew Hess - a German pressman, who was staying in Rome at that time - to Hungary. Kárai probably invited him at the request of János Vitéz. Hess set up his printing house in Buda. The first thing he published was the Buda Chronicle (Chronica Hungarorum) in 1472, which was "a nice and pleasant read for all Hungarian people". This book was dedicated to Kárai. For the second - and last - time he published two popular humanist works, Basilius Magnus (Vazul the Great)'s De legendis poetis (Reading Poets) and Xenophone's Socrates apology. Both of them were translated by Leonardo Bruni, a Florentine humanist. The eastern church father, Basil the Great, was often referred to, when humanists encouraged people to read the works of ancient authors. The Xenophone book was first printed in Andrew Hess's printing house, perhaps from a manuscript from Buda. There is no information about Hess's further printings.
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