Hartmann Schedel / Wohlgemut / Pleydenwurff / Durer - The Nuremberg Chronicle (Liber Chronicarum) - Montecassino - San Benedetto e Santa Scolastica - 1493

This original sheet is an incunabulum from 1493 extracted from the Liber Chronicarum, printed in Nuremberg by Anton Koberger and enriched by the monumental iconographic apparatus of the workshop of Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff. The front of the page opens with the solemn biography of Saint Benedict of Nursia (Benedictus abbas), father of Western monasticism, in which his miracles and ascetic life are recounted, accompanied by his woodcut portrait and by a famous and detailed view of the imposing Monastery of Monte Cassino (Monasterium cassinense), the cradle of the Benedictine order perched on its fortified summit. Just below is space for the story of Saint Scholastica (Scolastica), Benedict’s sister and also depicted in a dedicated portrait, famed for the deep spiritual bond with her brother and for the episode of the rain miracle that allowed them one last long spiritual conversation before their death. Turning the page, the verso hosts a chronological sequence of five popes who lived in the 6th century AD, inserted in the line of succession of the popes (Linea summo pontificum) and each accompanied by his own woodcut portrait. The sequence opens with Pope Boniface II (Bonifacius), the first pope of Germanic origin engaged in calming ecclesiastical divisions, followed by Pope John II (Johannes secundus), known for his doctrinal and theological contributions. Subsequently are presented Pope Agapitus I (Agapitus), who led a crucial diplomatic mission to Constantinople to the emperor Justinian, Pope Silverius (Silverius), who endured the dramatic exile during the Gothic wars, and finally Pope Vigilius (Vigilius), whose tormented pontificate was deeply marked by theological controversies and the strong political pressures of the Byzantine Empire.

Dimensions 42 x 30 cm
Will be shipped by courier