Original incunabulum woodcut leaf LXXVIII (78) from the Nuremberg Chronicle of Hartmann Schedel, the first Latin edition from 1493. An incunabulum (cradle print) is a book printed in Europe before 1 January 1501, when the printing press was still in its infancy, and of which the text is set in movable type. They are now rarely seen on the market. The Nuremberg Chronicle (Liber Chronicarum) by Hartmann Schedel is one of the most famous and best illustrated incunabula. The beautiful woodcuts were made by Michael Wohlgemut (1434/37-1519) and his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (1450-1494), a teacher of Albrecht Dürer. Dürer probably also contributed to the execution of many of the woodcuts for this incunabulum. The beautifully coloured woodcuts of folio LXXVIII on the recto side show 5 different philosophers: Demosthenes, Aristotle, Epicurus, Callisthenes and Xenocrates On the verso side, 8 beautiful illustrations are depicted: 1. Ptolemy Euergetes: Third Egyptian king. 2. Ptolemy Philopator: Fourth Egyptian king, known for his crimes, including killing his father and strangling his brother. 3. Dion of Syracuse: Noble philosopher involved in the tyrannies of Dionysiuses. 4. The Cimmerian Sibyl: A prophetess from Italy. 5. Anaximenes: Rhetorician and master of Alexander the Great in the art of speaking. 6. Carneades: Philosopher sent with Diogenes by the Athenians to the Roman Senate. 7. Sextilia: A virgin buried alive at the Porta Collatina for losing her virginity. 8. Xenophilus: Pythagorean philosopher from Chalcedonia, greatly esteemed and lived to the age of 105 without experiencing human misery. This is not a facsimile edition, but an original leaf printed in the 15th century - so 531 years old! Rare in coloured version. Dimensions: 42 x 29,5 cm Good condition, small brown spot in margin.