Hartmann Schedel/ Wohlgemut/ Pleydenwurff/Dürer - The Nuremberg Chronicle (Liber Chronicarum) - 1493

Original incunabulum woodcut leaf LXXXIIII (84) from the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel, first Latin 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.

The recto shows a hand-coloured woodcut labelled “Mantua,” depicting a fortified city with imposing gateways, crenellated walls, church towers and densely clustered buildings, beneath a Latin account of the city. Red roofs, blue spires and green scenery enliven this stylised medieval representation.

The verso depicts four hand-coloured woodcut portraits of the Roman poets and playwrights Naevius, Plautus and Ennius, and the Roman general Scipio Africanus, accompanied by Latin biographical text beneath the heading “Quinta etas mundi” (“The Fifth Age of the World”).

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

Dimensions: 43,7 x 30,4 cm
Good condition, a few small spots in white margin, right lower white corner with some loss.