1493 – H. Schedel – CXXXVI

Titles: “CXXXVI” Description: A major leaf from Hartmann Schedel’s Latin edition of the “Liber chronicarum,” published in Nuremberg in 1493, devoted to St. Augustine of Hippo — one of the most influential figures in Western Christian thought — and his mother St. Monica, followed on the verso by the Council of Ephesus and four consecutive early popes. Folio CXXXVI opens with an elaborate narrative woodcut, more finely composed than the book’s usual bust-length portraits: Augustine (“Sanctus Augustinus”) is shown enthroned as bishop in a study interior, with a haloed attendant figure beside him. The accompanying text traces his life in full — his North African birth to Patricius and the devout Monica, his years drawn into Manichaeism, his time teaching rhetoric in Carthage, Rome, and Milan, his conversion under the influence of Ambrose, baptism at thirty, founding of a monastic community, thirty-four years as Bishop of Hippo, and his prolific writings, “so many that they can scarcely be counted or read,” per the text. Monica (“Monica”) follows, her portrait a gentle single bust, with an account of her death at Ostia and the later translation of her relics to Rome in 1429/1430, complete with the commemorative epigram composed for her tomb. The lower register turns to two women of very different renown: Proba (“Proba mulier”), the Roman noblewoman who wove a poem in praise of Christ entirely from lines of Virgil, so skillfully that readers might take it for original verse; and Euphrosyne (“Eufrosina”), who disguised herself as a monk under the name Smaragdus and lived undetected in a monastery until her death. The text between them also touches on Rufinus of Aquileia, Lucian’s account of the discovery of the relics of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, a physician remembered as “Sophista,” and the Predestinarian heresy — plus, in the final line, the similar legend of St. Marina, falsely accused of fathering a child and enduring the accusation in silence. The verso opens with Pope Celestine I (“Celestinus”), credited here with introducing the singing of the Psalms of David before Mass. Below him, a large woodcut depicts the Council of Ephesus (“Synodus Ephezina”) of 431, showing rows of assembled bishops beneath a descending dove, called here to condemn Nestorius and the Pelagians and to formally affirm the title “Theotocos” — Mother of God — for the Virgin Mary. The page continues with Sixtus III (“Sixtus tercius”), builder of the Basilica of St. Mary Major; Leo I “the Great” (“Leo primus”), celebrated for his eloquence and his central role at the Council of Chalcedon; and Hilarius (“Hilarius”), the Sardinian-born pope who built oratories and libraries in Rome and established rules on papal succession. Page number: CXXXVI 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