Das vierdalter / Perusia

Title

Das vierdalter / Perusia

View of the city of Perugia in the Italian region of Umbria. On the reverse a view of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Furthermore, 9 images with kings, prophets and a bishop.

ca. 1493

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.

Historical Description

Perusia first appears in ancient literary sources in 310 BC. Apparently, Perusia was granted Roman citizenship after the Confederate War, which lasted from 91 to 88 BC. In the 6th century, according to the early Byzantine historian Prokop, Perugia was a strong fortress and the most important city in Etruria. The Longobard king Ratchis attacked the Pentapolis in 749 and besieged Perusia. In medieval and early modern Italian the city could be called Perugia. In the Middle Ages, the city was for a long time a loyal ally of Rome against the Emperor. In 1198 Perugia also officially detached itself from imperial authority, placing itself under the protection of Pope Innocent III. It was ruled by Guelfian merchants who made it the only important Umbrian commercial center, similar to the Tuscan city-states. The peak of this development was in the 13th century. The Guelfian orientation of the city did not mean, however, that there were no difficulties with the supposedly protective Papal States. Around 1500, during the first heyday of humanistic historical research, historians attributed Perugia, for example, to the Tuscan cities, as can be seen from the chronicle of Matarazzo. In 1540, in the so-called "Salt War", the Perugines were defeated by Pope Paul III. They had refused to accept a new salt tax and the Pope acted drastically. Within a very short time - from 1540 to 1543 - in order to keep the city definitively under control, he had a fortification built on Colle Landone by Antonio da Sangallo, named Rocca Paolina after its builder. For more than three centuries Perugia remained subject to the Papal States. In 1797 Perugia was occupied by the French from Livorno. In 1798/99 Perugia briefly formed part of the ephemeral Roman Republic. In mid-July 1798, Arretine bands and Austrian patrol corps captured the city, but were soon forced to abandon it. After the dissolution of the Roman Republic in September 1799, Perugia rejoined the Papal States for a decade. In 1809 it became part of the new French Empire created by Napoleon Bonaparte and belonged to the Department of Trasimène for the rest of its duration. In 1814 Perugia reverted to the Papal State. The revolts of 1831, 1848 and 1859 were put down by papal troops. In 1860, Piedmontese troops invaded Perugia. Umbria was incorporated into the new Italian state.