1493 – H. Schedel – CLIIII

Titles: “CLIIII” Description: A leaf from Hartmann Schedel’s Latin edition of the “Liber chronicarum,” published in Nuremberg in 1493, pairing seventh-century Byzantine imperial history on the recto with a gathering of eight contemporary saints on the verso. Folio CLIIII opens with the turbulent succession following Emperor Heraclius’s death in 641, illustrated with three consecutive portraits in the Chronicle’s “Linea Imperatorum”: Constantine III (“Constantinus tercius”), who briefly co-reigned with his father and is said here to have been poisoned by his stepmother Martina; his half-brother Heraklonas (“Heraclion”), whose short reign was entangled in the Monothelite controversy over the nature of Christ’s will, promoted by the patriarchs Cyrus, Sergius, and Pyrrhus; and Constans II (“Constans”), Constantine’s son, whose reign dominates the page. The text recounts Constans’s standoff with Patriarch Paul and his exile of Pope Martin I, his campaign into Italy against the Lombards that turned instead into a notorious stripping of Rome’s bronze and marble ornaments — the text claims he carried off more in seven days than the barbarians had taken in the previous 258 years — and his eventual assassination in his bath at Syracuse by an officer of his own army. Below, a large woodcut depicts the Council of Rome held under Pope Martin (“Concilium Rome tempore Martini pape”) — the Lateran Synod of 649, convened to formally condemn the Monothelite patriarchs named above. The verso gathers eight portraits of saints said to have flourished in this same period. Jodocus (“Jodocus”), a Breton prince who renounced his claim to the throne for a hermit’s life, opens the page, followed by an English queen (“Egiltrudis regina”) described as having remained a virgin through three marriages, her body reportedly found incorrupt eleven years after burial — a detail closely matching the well-known legend of St. Etheldreda of Ely. Fursey (“Forseus”), the Irish prince-turned-monk who founded a monastery at Lagny in Francia, and Aurea (“Aurea”), a disciple of St. Eligius who led three hundred virgins, follow. The lower portraits include Oswald of Northumbria (“Oswaldus”), the warrior-king killed by Penda of Mercia and remembered for his charity and an arm said to have remained incorrupt; Gertrude of Nivelles (“Gerdrudis”), daughter of Pepin of Landen; Leodegar of Autun (“Leodegarius eps”), tortured and finally beheaded under the tyranny of Ebroin; and Vigilius, Bishop of Auxerre (“Vigilius epus”), murdered by a royal seneschal. Page number: CLIIII 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. 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