The Book of Chronicles
The complete and annotated Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493. Excerpt from the introduction by Stephan Füssel
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In fact, it is the city portraits and clear predominance of illustrations (1804 illustrations from 652 wood blocks) that make this Chronicle of the World so fascinating, for it is at the same time a document that bears eloquent witness to the achievements of the still new art of printing. The Chronicle is not only a work of historical reference, but also a contemporary inventory of urban culture around 1490. In many cases, we find in the Chronicle the first known illustrations of the cities in question, along with the story of their foundation, the etymology of their names and a painstaking list of facts about the cultural life, economy and trades flourishing there in the period around 1490. Small wonder that it was so enthusiastically hailed by the people of the time. Published in both Latin and German, it was reprinted three times within the space of a decade and, in spite of its considerable price, clearly met with a widespread interest and was frequently emulated throughout the entire 16th century. It has lost none of its fascination for readers right up to the present day.
Hartmann Schedel, physician and humanist
Although Nuremberg had no university, towards the end of the 15th century the city developed not only into a centre of trade and skilled craftsmanship, but also into a major centre of humanism in Germany. Even Melanchthon spoke of Nuremberg as a city with the "significance and renown of Athens or Rome". This reputation was nurtured above all by those scions of Nuremberg's patrician families who, like Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), Johannes Löffelholz (1448-1509) and Willibald Pirckheimer (1470-1530), had returned to their native town with humanist ideas after studying law or medicine in Italy. They were frequently joined, either personally or in letters, by the German "arch-humanist" Conrad Celtis (1459-1508) who, since Emperor Frederick III had made him Poet Laureate at the castle of Nuremberg in 1487, had kept up an intensive intellectual exchange with his Nuremberg friends.
Nuremberg's humanism during these turbulent decades was characterised by the study of issues in the fields of natural science, astronomy and astrology. While the astronomer Johannes Müller (known as Regiomontanus, 1436-1476), the cosmographer Martin Behaim (1459-1507) and the astronomer Johannes Werner (1468-1522) represent this leaning towards the natural sciences, they were also, needless to say, closely involved in philosophical enquiry.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
In fact, it is the city portraits and clear predominance of illustrations (1804 illustrations from 652 wood blocks) that make this Chronicle of the World so fascinating, for it is at the same time a document that bears eloquent witness to the achievements of the still new art of printing. The Chronicle is not only a work of historical reference, but also a contemporary inventory of urban culture around 1490. In many cases, we find in the Chronicle the first known illustrations of the cities in question, along with the story of their foundation, the etymology of their names and a painstaking list of facts about the cultural life, economy and trades flourishing there in the period around 1490. Small wonder that it was so enthusiastically hailed by the people of the time. Published in both Latin and German, it was reprinted three times within the space of a decade and, in spite of its considerable price, clearly met with a widespread interest and was frequently emulated throughout the entire 16th century. It has lost none of its fascination for readers right up to the present day.
Hartmann Schedel, physician and humanist
Although Nuremberg had no university, towards the end of the 15th century the city developed not only into a centre of trade and skilled craftsmanship, but also into a major centre of humanism in Germany. Even Melanchthon spoke of Nuremberg as a city with the "significance and renown of Athens or Rome". This reputation was nurtured above all by those scions of Nuremberg's patrician families who, like Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), Johannes Löffelholz (1448-1509) and Willibald Pirckheimer (1470-1530), had returned to their native town with humanist ideas after studying law or medicine in Italy. They were frequently joined, either personally or in letters, by the German "arch-humanist" Conrad Celtis (1459-1508) who, since Emperor Frederick III had made him Poet Laureate at the castle of Nuremberg in 1487, had kept up an intensive intellectual exchange with his Nuremberg friends.
Nuremberg's humanism during these turbulent decades was characterised by the study of issues in the fields of natural science, astronomy and astrology. While the astronomer Johannes Müller (known as Regiomontanus, 1436-1476), the cosmographer Martin Behaim (1459-1507) and the astronomer Johannes Werner (1468-1522) represent this leaning towards the natural sciences, they were also, needless to say, closely involved in philosophical enquiry.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Chronicle of the World - 1493. Hartmann Schedel
Padded cover, 23.9 x 34 cm (9.4 x 13.4 in.), 680 pages
Hartmann Schedel's Chronicle of the World: A groundbreaking encyclopedic work and lavishly illustrated book
Ex-libris featuring the coat of arms of Hartmann Schedel from his personal copy of the Chronicle. Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek