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Anonymous, German Christ in Limbo fr. Speculum humanae salvationis (1473) Gunther Zainer, printer Woodcut, 15th c. 2 7/8" x 4 5/8" |
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only printers to have worked outside of Mainz previous to 1462 were Johann
Mentelin in Strasbourg and Albrecht Pfister in Bamberg.1
Gunther Zainer, the printer of this page from his Speculum humanae salvationis
of 1473, has ties to both Mentelin and Pfister. It is believed that Zainer
may have been trained by Mentelin in Strasbourg before his move to Augsburg.2
Zainer’s connection to Pfister is historical; it was Zainer who continued
Pfister’s development of the illustrated book.
In the early 1460’s Pfister became the first German printer to illustrate typographic books with woodcut illustrations. However, no books were printed in Germany for a period of several years until Zainer renewed and improved upon the practice around 1470. He ran into some difficulties when he first attempted to print in Augsburg. The guild of woodcutters, aware of his desire to print illustrated books, tried to prevent him from printing. Through the intervention of the abbot at the Benedictine Abbey of Saints Ulrich and Afra in the city, an agreement was finally reached.3 Zainer agreed to use only woodcutters from the guild to create the blocks for his illustrations. From the press in that same monastery, Zainer printed the first incunabula edition of the Speculum humanae salvationis and established one of the most lucrative printing presses of the fifteenth century. Augsburg would become major center for book printing for the next twenty years. The Speculum has a rich history that can be followed throughout the years of bookmaking. Following the tradition of most early printers, Zainer printed books that had a widespread appeal in manuscript form. The Speculum, written anonymously around 1300, was published during the years 1300-1500. It exists in several hundred copies and can be found in manuscripts, blockbooks, and incunabula. Speculum, a word meaning mirror or reflection, gained popular usage in titles of the Middle Ages.4 Typology, the study of the New Testament by aligning its scripture with events that prefigured in the Old Testament, also gained popularity during those years. The Speculum humanae salvationis was a typological reflection of the fall and redemption of man; it considered the these events from the viewpoint of how they are prefigured in the books of the Old Testament.5 The artist of Zainer’s Speculum is unknown, basically because the artist was only one step in a whole process of bookmaking. His drawings would be transferred by a woodcutter to a block, and then a printer would ink and print the block. This would change, however, with the prominence of masters of the sixteenth century such as Dürer, Cranach, and others.6 Even with the involvement of several different hands, Zainer’s Speculum is widely recognized for its beautiful simplicity and harmony. William Morris, whose own book designs are the best of the arts and crafts style of the nineteenth century, has even called it one of the most beautiful examples of the early illustrated book.7 This observation stems from the fact that all 176 woodcut illustrations are, for the first time, carefully aligned with the text. This gave the book a very appealing and elegant character. This illustration\text alignment is easily seen in the page held in the Wake Forest Collection. The subject of the illustration, Christ in Limbo, is uncolored and surrounded by a double-lined border. The design of the illustration is very simple, consisting of very little shading through the use of single-hatching. Dark areas in the woodcut add a touch of elegance, however, that further increases this edition’s appeal. The illustration also harmonizes with the wide, easy-to-read text. K.H. 1
Levarie, 1968, 85.
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