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Melusina

Woodcut
ca. 1481 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a page from a book printed in 1481 by Johan Prüss (1447-1510-16), who worked in Strasbourg between 1480 and 1510. It is among the earliest illustrated books printed using moveable type. The woodcut illustration has had colour roughly applied to it, possibly by or for the owner, as has the first elaborate woodcut initial. A flourish in red ink has been added at the bottom.

An advantage of the woodcut in printed books is that as a relief medium - with lines to be printed in black standing up - the image could be placed alongside the relief metal type used for the text. This made the method reasonably economical. But when books were still also being hand-written and illuminated in colour, these simple black and white images must have looked odd. In copies set aside for the wealthiest clients, printers left spaces blank for hand-painted illustrations and initials. Printing in colour was occasionally tried but not often used as it was complicated, requiring printing parts of the same page more than once, making sure that each printing matched..

Courtly romances were sung as ballads by travelling poets (troubadours), making their spread through Europe inevitable. Their stories often originated in folktales. As lay literacy increased they became candidates for making into books. Poet Jean d'Arras wrote down a long romance based on a folktake about a water nymph, Melusine, who changed into a serpent-tailed nymph. This became a popular story throughout Europe, reproduced as illuminated manuscripts and in many printed versions in several languages.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMelusina (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Woodcut and letterpress, coloured by hand
Brief description
Page from Melusina, hand coloured woodcut and letterpress, author Jean d'Arras, printer Johann Prüss; Strasbourg, ca. 1481
Physical description
Page with hand-coloured woodcut illustrations to Melusina.
Dimensions
  • Average height: 6.75in
  • Average width: 5.25in
Style
Object history
21 from a set of 67. This edition appears to have been based on that published by Bernhard Richel at Basle, ca. 1476, which in turn derived from that of Johann Baemler issued at Augsburg 1474. [ref: old card catalogue]
Summary
This is a page from a book printed in 1481 by Johan Prüss (1447-1510-16), who worked in Strasbourg between 1480 and 1510. It is among the earliest illustrated books printed using moveable type. The woodcut illustration has had colour roughly applied to it, possibly by or for the owner, as has the first elaborate woodcut initial. A flourish in red ink has been added at the bottom.

An advantage of the woodcut in printed books is that as a relief medium - with lines to be printed in black standing up - the image could be placed alongside the relief metal type used for the text. This made the method reasonably economical. But when books were still also being hand-written and illuminated in colour, these simple black and white images must have looked odd. In copies set aside for the wealthiest clients, printers left spaces blank for hand-painted illustrations and initials. Printing in colour was occasionally tried but not often used as it was complicated, requiring printing parts of the same page more than once, making sure that each printing matched..

Courtly romances were sung as ballads by travelling poets (troubadours), making their spread through Europe inevitable. Their stories often originated in folktales. As lay literacy increased they became candidates for making into books. Poet Jean d'Arras wrote down a long romance based on a folktake about a water nymph, Melusine, who changed into a serpent-tailed nymph. This became a popular story throughout Europe, reproduced as illuminated manuscripts and in many printed versions in several languages.
Bibliographic references
  • Hind, A.M. An Introduction to a History of Woodcut. London, 1935, p.294
  • Schreiber, W.L. Manuel de l'Amateur de la Gravure sur Bois et sur Métal au XVe siècle. Leipzig, 1910-11. Part. IV, 4631.
Collection
Accession number
E.103-1889

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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