Hartmann Schedel - De Kroniek van Neurenberg - Al-Razi, Serapion, Kloosters & Mathilde van Toscane - sexta etas mundi - 1497

This original incunabula leaf (woe-rum print) comes from the rare, reduced Latin edition of the famous Chronicle of Nuremberg, printed on February 1, 1497 by Johann Schönsperger in Augsburg [Liber chronicarum, Schedel]. It concerns the full leaf Folium CCXV (215) with a total paper size of about 30 x 19 cm. The text covers a portion of the Sixth Age of the World ("Sexta etas mundi") around the end of the 11th century. The recto opens in the upper left with the conclusion of the history about the struggle between Emperor Henry IV and anti-king Rudolf of Swabia (who was buried in Merseburg in 1080 after his wounds), followed by three hand-colored woodcuts: the monastic complex of the Order of Grandmont ("Ordo grandimontensis"), the holy founder Stephanus of Muret ("Sanctus Stephanus"), and the church teacher and cardinal Petrus Damianus ("Petrus Damianus") with bishop’s staff. The verso contains seven hand-colored woodcuts of famous medieval scholars, physicians, clergy, and a powerful noblewoman, including a depiction of the monastery of the regular canons ("Ordo canonicorum regularium"), the physicians Johannes Serapion, Isaac Israeli, and al-Razi, Bishop Ivo of Chartres, the martyrs Zeno and Arnulf, and Margravine Mathilde of Tuscany. The leaf is in good condition, with handsome old hand coloring, wide margins, and light signs of aging; restoration (2 x 1 cm) of a small crack at the top of the left margin (not clearly visible, a small hole at the bottom left margin, a crack at the top of the right margin, 1 cm, and in the left margin 0.5 cm).

depicted on recto:
1. Ordo grandimontensis (Monastic complex of the Order of Grandmont, founded in 1078)
2. Sanctus Stephanus (Stephanus of Muret, hermit and order founder)
3. Petrus Damianus (Petrus Damianus, Italian cardinal and church teacher)

on verso:
1. Johes Serapion (Johannes Serapion, Syrian physician)
2. Isaac medicus (Isaac Israeli ben Solomon, Jewish physician and philosopher, with urinal)
3. Seno et Arnulphus (Zeno of Trier and Arnulf, holy martyrs with palm frond)
4. Ordo canonicorum regularium (Monastery of the regular canons)
5. Yvo episcopus (Ivo of Chartres, French bishop and canon lawyer)
6. Rasis medicus (Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, Persian physician and alchemist)
7. Mathildis comitissa (Mathilde of Tuscany, Italian margravine)

On recto: among other things the foundation of the Grandmont monastery and the life of Saint Stephanus of Muret, with the description of the monastery and its miracles: "They built a church and houses near Mount Muret. And when they carried the holy body to Grandmont... a paralyzed man there regained his health, a blind man recovered sight, and he performed other miracles..." Also the biography of Cardinal Petrus Damianus, who, out of humility, renounced his bishopric to serve God in silence.
On verso: among other things, short lives of famous medieval physicians such as al-Razi (Rasis medicus), who is noted for having "brought the whole medical science together in one book" and who also wrote works on astronomy and alchemy, as well as a laudation of Countess Mathilde of Tuscany (Mathildis comitissa), a "very noble and renowned woman" who remained steadfast beside the Roman Church.

To be shipped as registered mail