 |
|
|
Workshop of Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff pages from Nuremberg Chronicle (1493): PC1970.9
PC1970.10
PC1970.11
Anton
Koberger, printer
|
   |
| Perhaps
the most ambitious book printed in the fifteenth century, from which these
pages in the collection are taken, is the Weltchronik, or Nuremberg
Chronicle. This massive universal history was printed in both a Latin
and German edition by the shop of Anton Koberger in 1493. It was illustrated
by Michael Wolgemut with the assistance of Wilhelm Pleydenwurff and their
workshop. This same group had cooperated earlier, in 1491, to publish another
major tome of that decade, the Schatzbehalter. Albrecht Dürer,
working in the shop of his teacher, Wolgemut, could also have been involved
in the illustration of the Chronicle; however, due to the number
of hands involved and other complexities, it is nearly impossible to distinguish
one artist’s work from another.
The book was written by Hartmann Schedel, a physician in the city of Nuremberg. After its commission, the book took several years to complete. It involved the activity of at least 100 men and 24 presses.1 In all the pages of the book there are 1809 illustrations. In order to capitalize on a trend, as well as to save money, Koberger repeated many of the woodcuts. There are only 22 cuts for 69 city subjects and 96 cuts for 598 people.2 In that regard, the book cannot be regarded as a fully accurate visual or historical record. Yet at the same time, it maintains a very scholarly nature, and by the sheer scope of the project itself, the Chronicle was a major achievement in fifteenth century bookmaking. Unlike Gunther Zainer, who experienced conflicts with the local woodcutters, the City Council of Nuremberg fully supported the new industry of printing and allowed the printers a lot of freedom.3 The Chronicle, which is a mixture of biblical, popular, and political history, is divided into seven ages. After beginning with an elaborate introduction by God the Father, the book describes the Age of Creation, proceeding through the ages of biblical rulers, historical figures, and current events. It ends with a look toward the Apocalypse and the Last Judgment.4 Understandably, the book was very popular and became a standard addition to the bourgeois home. As several scholars of book history have noted, it was the first major picture book for the middle class. The pages from the book in the Wake Forest collection are typical of the illustrations in the Chronicle. Number 9 contains the heading, Anglie Provincia. It is taken from the section that deals with the third age of the world, which includes descriptions of various European cities. This representation of an English province is a masterful cut, showing the use of complex shading and textural techniques. Like several of the village cuts, however, this view is probably a stylized one. While retaining the basic features of a city, it is a more generalized view than a factual one. A notable aspect of the woodcut is its place in the development of the landscape view. The new shift evident in the Chronicle can best be described as going from the "territorial to the pictorial view".5 The landscape is no longer merely a territorial boundary but a singular and unique place unto itself. The landscape has become a place for the traveler. Anglie Provincia is set away from the spectator, like a far view seen in passing.6 Numbers 10 and 11 are excerpts from the section of the Chronicle dealing with the fifth age of the world. This age includes the Babylonian captivity, the beheading of John the Baptist, and the rise and reign of Alexander the Great. These two cuts appear to concentrate on the latter subject, depicting the ascendancy of Alexander the Great and other historical figures of that time period. Most of the figures are stock torso cuts that in all likelihood are repeated throughout the book. Only Alexander the Great is shown in full figure, reflecting his importance as a historical figure. Kristin Hicks 1.
Levarie, 1968, 103.
|