Germany - Nuremberg, Bavaria; Hartmann Schedel/ Wohlgemut/ Pleydenwurff/Dürer - Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany - 1481-1500

Original incunabulum finely hand-colored double-page woodcut leaves XCIX/C (99/100) from Hartmann Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle, first German edition of 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.

This magnificent panoramic woodcut is arguably the most famous and architecturally detailed view in the entire chronicle. As the hometown of Schedel, Koberger, and the artists, Nuremberg is afforded a grand, expansive double-page spread.

The woodcut captures the late-medieval metropolis from the south, prominently featuring the double ring of fortified city walls, the Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg) commanding the hilltop skyline, and the prominent spires of its major churches (S. Sebolt and S. Lorenz). In the foreground, rural life, roads, and travelers approaching the city gates add a vivid narrative layer to this monumental cartographic achievement.

This is not a facsimile edition, but an original leaf printed in the 15th century - so 533 years old!
Rare in coloured version.

Dimensions: 42 x 58,3 cm

Good condition, a few small spots, middle fold as usual with some stitch holes restored.