Die Aufzeichnung des Nicht-Sagbaren: Annäherung an die kommunikative Funktion der Bilder in den Fechtbüchern des Hans Talhofer

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the communication strategies of medieval fightbooks and the purpose of integrated depictions of their authors and addressees. The point of departure is a series of three articles written by Jan-Dirk MÜLLER between 1992 and 1994, in which he analyses the relationship between mnemonic verses, glosses and didactic images in the tradition of the fencing master Johannes Liechtenauer. On the basis of a case study on the five surviving 15th century manuscripts ascribed to Hans Talhofer, who also stands in the tradition of Liechtenauer, the description of his personal martial art by the use of didactic images is examined