The Imperial Robes of Bamberg

The textiles presented here are the oldest preserved garments connected to European rulers. They are considered mementos of the founder of the dioceses of Bamberg, the Emperor Heinrich II (died 1024) and his wife Kunigunde (died 1033), and are kept in the Diözesanmuseum Bamberg (Diocesan Museum Bamberg). This group includes the star mantle, the Bamberg tunic, the rider mantle, Kunigunde’s blue and white mantles and the Bamberg rationale. They are the main testimonies to Ottonian textile art and, as a first-rate cultural asset, are closely linked to Bamberg’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The compilation of these textiles into one group of objects is a consequence of the written tradition and has been subject to considerable change over the course of thousands of years of history. In 1127 the oldest Bamberg treasure inventory mentions just one imperial robe, but since the canonization of Henry II in 1147 and that of Kunigunde in 1200 the number of textiles placed in this context grew steadily to about ten garments by the 16th century, although at that time neither the star cloak nor the rationale were included in this group. Unlike the other garments, which had been considered relics of the holy imperial couple since the Middle Ages, it was not until the 18th century that they were counted among “Henry II’s skirts” and the term “imperial robes” was fixed.

Besides the link to the emperor and empress, technology is the connecting element. All garments are decorated with gold embroidery in appliqué technique. In the Late Middle Ages the gold embroideries were cut from the original fabrics and fixed on new silk fabrics. Since the 18th century, it has been a generally accepted fact that this transfer was made according the original composition without any significant changes. However, the results of the DFG “Imperial vestments” (2015-2020) project prove a deliberate and fundamental change in the garments as media to stage the cult of emperors and saints both in the late Middle Ages and during the last restoration of the vestments in the 1950s. In some cases, the garments were massively altered and reassembled several times, which can now be proven with the help of technological and material analysis studies – not only of the garments themselves, but also of the backing and lining fabrics removed in the 1950s.

Due to the large number of new findings and their significance for science and Bavaria’s cultural identity, the collection now documents in an annotated selection the results of the DFG project, the aim of which was to research the history of each individual vestment from its origin to its present appearance, with concise new digital images from the overall view to the microscope image. A documentary film by the BR, which was recorded during the project, is suitable as an introduction.

• The objects of the collection "The Imperial Robes of Bamberg" available on bavarikon

The part-collections of the collection "The Imperial Robes of Bamberg" available on bavarikon

• The Bamberg Tunic
• The blue Kunigunde mantle
• The rider mantle
• The white Kunigunde mantle
• The blue Bamberg rationale
• The star mantle of Heinrich II.

>> This collection is part of the holdings of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities) and the Diözesanmuseum Bamberg (Diocesan Museum Bamberg) under participation of the Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen (Bavarian Department of State-owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes) and the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg (State Library Bamberg).