Towers and Lions? Identifying the Patron of a Medieval Illuminated Maḥzor from Cologne

The issue of patronage—the initiating, production, and leadership of an artis-
tic project—has been extensively addressed in the research literature on the
Middle Ages. Who were the patrons of works of art? What motivated them?
What kinds of relations did they have to the artists who produced works,
and to what extent were they involved in the work beyond paying for all or
part of it? All these questions have kept scholars occupied for many years.
This is especially true of the period that ended in the thirteenth century, from
which notarized agreements between patrons and the artists they hired have
not survived. The situation changes from the fourteenth century onward, from
which scholars have uncovered such documents and documented the behind-
the-scenes relations between the sponsors of works of art and their craftsmen