1493 – H. Schedel – CCXVIII

Titles:           “CCXVIII”

Description:

Very decorative woodcut from Hartmann Schedel’s the Latin edition of the “Liber chronicarum” published in 1493. This page comes from “Sexta etas mundi” (“The Sixth Age of the World”), the Chronicle’s long final section covering the birth of Christ up to the book’s own present day, told mostly through the reigns of popes and emperors.

Recto:

Five short biographies, each with its own woodcut portrait:

Charles II, King of Sicily/Naples — his war against the Aragonese, his wounding and capture, and his long reign
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia — son of Ottokar II, raised under the guardianship of the Margrave of Brandenburg
Taddeo Alderotti, the celebrated Florentine physician known for his commentaries on Hippocrates
Philip IV of France, “the Fair” — succeeded his father Philip III and reigned 29 years
Giles of Rome, the Augustinian theologian and Archbishop of Bourges, a student of Aquinas

Verso:

Dated “Anno mundi 6487, Anno Christi 1288,” headed by a boxed “Linea summorum pontificum” (line of the supreme pontiffs):

Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pope, who briefly moved the papal curia to Rieti and restored Santa Maria Maggiore
Pope Celestine V, the hermit Pietro da Morrone — famous for abdicating the papacy after only a few months, one of history’s rare papal resignations (he’s often read as the unnamed soul Dante consigns to Hell’s vestibule for “the great refusal”); he was later canonized
A bishop, Ugolino, plus a couple of Augustinian/Franciscan theologians, round out the page

Page number CCXVIII

Worth knowing about the book itself: almost none of the portraits are individual likenesses — the same “generic ruler” and “generic pope” woodblocks get recycled again and again throughout the Chronicle for whichever figure is being discussed. And the red-ink initials and headings are rubrication, added by hand after printing, which is typical for surviving copies.

The Nuremberg Chronicles was the first printed history of the known world with about 2000 woodcuts the most picturesque work of the early time of printing. It became one of the most popular books of the 15th. century. The woodblock cutters were Michael Wolgemut, teacher of Albrecht Dürer and his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff. The printing was carried out under the supervision of the great scholar-printer Anton Koberger.

Author:                    Hartmann Schedel (1440 – 1514)
Sheet size:              43,3 x 31,3 cm
Year:                         1493
Technique:            wood block

Condition:
In good condition, strong press.

This is an original antique map published in 1493 and NOT a modern copy or reprint

On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity