Liber Cronicarum
Woodcut
1493 (published)
1493 (published)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This page is bound into a collection of images of Adam and Eve compiled by a former owner. It was removed from a book entitled Liber Chronicarum, or 'Nuremberg Chronicle', published in 1493 by printer Anton Koberger. One of the most ambitious books produced in the 15th century with over 1000 woodcut illustrations, the 'Nuremberg Chronicle' was also one of the earliest books with illustrations designed by artists rather than blockcutters. Koberger commissioned Michael Wolgemut, who ran a large art workshop, to design the illustrations and layout between 1487 and 1491. Wolgemut was helped by his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff
Woodcut images could be printed on the same page as text because the type used to print the words and the woodcut image were both in relief, so they could be set together in the same frame (called a ‘forme’) and printed simultaneously.
In common with practice at the time, not all of the images in the Chronicle were original designs, some being copies after artists like Martin Schongauer, and some being used more than once in the same book. But where earlier woodcut book illustrations were simple outlines the use of light and tone shows how differently an artist responded to the potential of the woodcut medium. Books like this led to artists such as Albrecht Dürer considering the potential of the woodcut as a medium of expression. Dürer trained under Wolgemut between 1486 and 1489 at around the time when Wolgemut received the commission for this book.
Woodcut images could be printed on the same page as text because the type used to print the words and the woodcut image were both in relief, so they could be set together in the same frame (called a ‘forme’) and printed simultaneously.
In common with practice at the time, not all of the images in the Chronicle were original designs, some being copies after artists like Martin Schongauer, and some being used more than once in the same book. But where earlier woodcut book illustrations were simple outlines the use of light and tone shows how differently an artist responded to the potential of the woodcut medium. Books like this led to artists such as Albrecht Dürer considering the potential of the woodcut as a medium of expression. Dürer trained under Wolgemut between 1486 and 1489 at around the time when Wolgemut received the commission for this book.
Object details
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Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Woodcut and letterpress on paper in bound volume |
Brief description | Cutting from Nuremberg Chronicle (liber Chronicarum), with woodcut illustration by Wolgemut depicting Adam and Eve; published 1493, Nuremberg, by Anton Koberger, compiled by Hartmann Schedel. |
Physical description | Cutting from the Nuremberg Chonicle featuring a woodcut illustration showing God pulling Eve from Adam's chest as he sleeps. In a rocky landscape setting. In the background to the left can be seen a landscape of rolling hill. This is folio VI from the book and text and decorative initials are still intact. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Credit line | Bequeathed by Eustace F. Bosanquet |
Summary | This page is bound into a collection of images of Adam and Eve compiled by a former owner. It was removed from a book entitled Liber Chronicarum, or 'Nuremberg Chronicle', published in 1493 by printer Anton Koberger. One of the most ambitious books produced in the 15th century with over 1000 woodcut illustrations, the 'Nuremberg Chronicle' was also one of the earliest books with illustrations designed by artists rather than blockcutters. Koberger commissioned Michael Wolgemut, who ran a large art workshop, to design the illustrations and layout between 1487 and 1491. Wolgemut was helped by his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff Woodcut images could be printed on the same page as text because the type used to print the words and the woodcut image were both in relief, so they could be set together in the same frame (called a ‘forme’) and printed simultaneously. In common with practice at the time, not all of the images in the Chronicle were original designs, some being copies after artists like Martin Schongauer, and some being used more than once in the same book. But where earlier woodcut book illustrations were simple outlines the use of light and tone shows how differently an artist responded to the potential of the woodcut medium. Books like this led to artists such as Albrecht Dürer considering the potential of the woodcut as a medium of expression. Dürer trained under Wolgemut between 1486 and 1489 at around the time when Wolgemut received the commission for this book. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | E.19-1941 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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