Sinnbildnisse. Die Druckwerke mit den biographischen Emblemprogrammen der Exequien in der Münchener Theatinerkirche für Kurfürstin Henriette Adelheid (1636–1676), Kurfürst Ferdinand Maria (1636–1679) und Kurfürst Maximilian II. Emanuel (1662–1726) von Bayern.

The doctoral thesis treats with three publications containing all the inscriptions and emblems, which were to be read and seen fixed in and on durable and ephemeral architecture during the three-day-long funeral services – beheld in Munichs court church St. Cajetan – for three Bavarian princes. Defining this particular publicistic genre it is shown its conditions and forms of function. Much attention is paid to the emblematic programmes, documented and annotated by their authors; using the special capacity of emblems (as combinations of picture and words emblematic compositions are able to express abstract terms, words like love, suffering, faith, magnanimity, humility etc.), this programmes depict the first biographical expositions to the princes posthumous. The thesis explains the single emblem as a basic element belonging to a comprehensive narrative structure, which develops from the succession of emblemtic groups or sequences; along this emblematic chapters the structure depicts the narration of irreprochable and virtous life, good death and triumphant resurrection in heavenly beyond relating to the described princely person. Referring to this, it must be determined the (very much eulogy related) programmes ability of giving plausible impressions and ideas of the princely persons sensitivity and nature, by combining emblem-expressed abstract terms: This is what the original title of the thesis „Sinnbildnisse“ relates to, joining together the german equivalent „Sinnbild“ for „emblem“ and „Bildnisse“ for „portraits“, playing with the double meaning of „Sinn“, which is „sense“ and „mind“. An important conclusion of the thesis is a new definition of the emblem: Within the biographical programmes the single emblem acts as semantic element, which as part of a comprehensive structure fulfils syntagmatic function, according to its position inside an emblematic series. That is why it must be lead away from the emblem as seeming a self-sufficient form of expression (as what it is seen mostly, e.g. think of how emblems are presented in handbooks or data banks: taken out of context, ignoring syntagmatic function); the thesis insted brings near the single emblem as part of general narrative perspectives. The single emblem only can be seen correctly inside the comprehensive structure; only with including its position inside an emblematic series the single emblem is understable totally and correctly. With detailed analysises of all pictorial and literary components gathered within the three publications the doctoral thesis describes a publicistic genre, which played an important role in early modern times. That kind of analysises of that kind of genre were not given yet in such comprehensiveness; the thesis lays claim to give the first three analysises of this genre approbriate to the genres historical importance. (Some advice for printing: The pages are formatted for DIN A5; a double-sided print of the text, i.e. four pages on one sheet, needs, pictures not included, 90 sheets of printer-paper.)