Creating a Digital Edition of the Levezow Album: Interactive Visualization of 17th-Century Drawings

Abstract

The “Digital Edition Levezow Album” project was an interdisciplinary collaboration between the the Department of Art History at the University of Hamburg, the State and University Library Hamburg, and Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS) at the University of Hamburg. The project aimed to digitally process and interactively visualize a previously unexplored sketchbook from the late 17th century, containing drawings on anatomy, antiquity, proportion studies, and natural history. By leveraging modern technologies such as digital editing techniques and advanced image processing, the Levezow Album was made accessible to a broad audience. Each page of the album was accompanied by detailed explanations authored by students of the Department of Art History. These texts provide context regarding the significance, origins, and intricacies of the drawings. Additionally, an interactive commenting feature allows users to suggest alternative or complementary sources and engage in a dialogue about the artworks. This project demonstrates how digital methods can be used in the humanities to reinterpret historical artifacts and make them accessible to a wider, global audience. In
addition, it provided a first experience of digital research methods and digital humanities for the art history students involved in the project. It serves as an example of the successful integration of research, education, and research software engineering to promote cultural heritage.