Welt-Chronik

Title

Welt-Chronik

Facsimile of the famous SCHEDELSCHEN WELTCHRONIK of 1493 by Koberger in Nuremberg in original size.. 286 folios, text and 1809 woodcuts from 645 woodblocks. Among the numerous woodcuts, some full-page, such as the world map, map of Germany, the clerical and the secular, are many city views such as: Vienna, Salzburg, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Erfurt, Munich, Augsburg, Würzburg, Magdeburg, Bamberg, Passau, Ulm, Lübeck, Strasbourg, Rome, Prague, Bresslau, Krakow, Budapest, Basel, Jerusalem, Constantinople, Florence, Venice and Nice. Several 1/2 page illustrations of Adam and Eve, the Dance of Death, the Circumcision and many more. German edition. Bookbindery Walter Stein in Dresden.

ca. 1990

Artist

Schedel (1440-1515)

Hartmann Schedel (1440–1515) from Nuremberg is best known for the 1493 publication of the Schedel’s World Chronicle (Liber chronicarum), a universal history featuring 1,809 woodcuts—making it the most richly illustrated book of early printing. The chronicle, written in Latin by Schedel for merchants Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister, was translated into German by Georg Alt and printed by Anton Koberger. The illustrations came from the workshop of Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff. The work covers world history up to 1492/93, divided into eight ages of the world, and draws on numerous sources, including Jacobus Foresta and Enea Silvio Piccolomini. Notably, it features highly accurate city views, many depicted in detail for the first time. Pleydenwurff introduced a new perspective by portraying cities from a fixed viewpoint, emphasizing their unique architectural and landscape features. The project was funded in part by the patron Sebald Schreyer.