We are offering a very well-preserved exemplar of the first German edition of the famous Nuremberg Chronicle. The impressive large-size volume in a fine binding of the time contains 1800 woodcuts, partly double-page sized, among them many town views. Most of these views are the first printed depictions of the places shown.
Schedel’s World Chronicle was the first secular book to be produced in such costly way like only the Bible and liturgical works had been so far.
It is one of the most beautiful examples of early book printing and the most richly illustrated print of the 15th century.
The impressive woodcuts have been made by Michael Wohlgemut (1434 – 1519) and his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (1460 – 1494). Wohlgemut was and important painter and xylographer, in whose workshop Albrecht Durer apprenticed from 1486 to 1489. It is very likely that Durer was involved in the production of some of the woodcuts of the chronicle as it is proved that some of the woodcuts for the work had been prepared already some years before the publication.
The 1800 woodcuts have been printed by about 650 woodblocks, which means that some of the woodcuts have been printed more than once in the book.
Mostly rulers and saints are depicted as well predominantly occidental towns, among them Augsburg, Bamberg, Basle, Eichstätt, Erfurt, Florence, Geneva, Genoa, Jerusalem, Cologne, Konstanz, Lübeck, Magdeburg, Milan, Mainz, Munich, Nice, Nuremberg, Paris, Passau, Pisa, Regensburg, Rome, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Trier, Ulm, Venice and Vienna. There are moreover shown a Danse Macabre, a world map as well as biblical scenes like the Creation and the Last Judgement.
The present German translation was published less than 6 months after the first edition in Latin in the same year. The translation was carried out by Georg Alt (1450 - 1510) who was also one of the assistant writers of the Latin edition.
The German edition had a print run of about 700 exemplars of which an estimated number of about 300 is still existing.
