Meeting of the Regensburg Council

An attractive town hall, scaled according to local needs and finances, became a requisite of most northern European towns in the first half of the fifteenth century. It was the setting for activities ranging from legal and economic deliberations to social events. The great halls and council chambers were often elaborately embellished with images promoting moral rectitude and proper civic behaviour. The miniature by Hans Mielich in the Regensburg Freiheitsbook (folio 2), a book listing legal privileges, shows the council, including artist Albrecht Altdorfer, meeting in its chamber.