An historic double-page woodcut engraving of Constantinople (current-day Istanbul) from Hartmann Schedel's "Liber Chronicarum," (Nuremburg Chronicle), published in 1493.
The Nuremberg Chronicle is one of the world’s first widely distributed printed books, renowned for its ambition and scope in history and geography. Schedel's work stands out for its grand narrative and extensive illustrations and provided some of the first views of foreign cities every published for a European audience.
This particular folio (CXXIX/CXXX) is from the first edition/printing, printed in Latin in Nuremburg in 1493, 6 months before the German edition. Both editions were limited to 2000 printings, of which even fewer have survived to the modern day.
Constantinople was the largest city in the Western World at the time of publication. An imperial capital of the Eastern Roman / Byzantine and Ottoman Empires for almost sixteen centuries, it had long been a cradle of Western civilization, serving as the geographical and commercial bridge between East and West.
Like all of Schedel’s city-views, the cityscape is a mixture of both real and imagined, although the view of Constantinople stands out as one of the most detailed. The Bosphorus and Golden Horn are featured, with links of the famous “Great Chain” visible from the fortifications. Notable are the intricate renderings of the city's famous Theodosian walls, still adorned with standards of the Byzantine Empire. The Hagia Sophia is prominent, if not entirely accurately depicted, reflecting the artist's and the contemporary audience's imagination of this distant and legendary metropolis.
The verso side of the folio contains text in Latin describing aspects of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, the first Emperors from Constantine, and a woodcut of the First Council of Nicaea. This council, held in 325, was a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity, as it resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, the Nicene Creed.
Sold framed with UV protective glass.
Details
- Date: 1493
- Author: Hartmann Schedel; Nuremburg, Germany
- Size: 58cm x 43cm
Condition
Excellent; Very good to excellent condition. Dark impression with full margins and recent, professional hand-colouring. Some light toning to margin edges. Centre-fold prominent, with usual repair visible alone the fold-line. The page has printing on both sides, so some bleed-through of the text on verso is faintly visible in some parts.
Framed, with UV protective glass.
1493 Schedel's Nuremburg Chronicle - Constantinople
1493 Schedel's Nuremburg Chronicle - Constantinople
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An historic double-page woodcut engraving of Constantinople (current-day Istanbul) from Hartmann Schedel's "Liber Chronicarum," (Nuremburg Chronicle), published in 1493.
The Nuremberg Chronicle is one of the world’s first widely distributed printed books, renowned for its ambition and scope in history and geography. Schedel's work stands out for its grand narrative and extensive illustrations and provided some of the first views of foreign cities every published for a European audience.
This particular folio (CXXIX/CXXX) is from the first edition/printing, printed in Latin in Nuremburg in 1493, 6 months before the German edition. Both editions were limited to 2000 printings, of which even fewer have survived to the modern day.
Constantinople was the largest city in the Western World at the time of publication. An imperial capital of the Eastern Roman / Byzantine and Ottoman Empires for almost sixteen centuries, it had long been a cradle of Western civilization, serving as the geographical and commercial bridge between East and West.
Like all of Schedel’s city-views, the cityscape is a mixture of both real and imagined, although the view of Constantinople stands out as one of the most detailed. The Bosphorus and Golden Horn are featured, with links of the famous “Great Chain” visible from the fortifications. Notable are the intricate renderings of the city's famous Theodosian walls, still adorned with standards of the Byzantine Empire. The Hagia Sophia is prominent, if not entirely accurately depicted, reflecting the artist's and the contemporary audience's imagination of this distant and legendary metropolis.
The verso side of the folio contains text in Latin describing aspects of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, the first Emperors from Constantine, and a woodcut of the First Council of Nicaea. This council, held in 325, was a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity, as it resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, the Nicene Creed.
Sold framed with UV protective glass.
Details
- Date: 1493
- Author: Hartmann Schedel; Nuremburg, Germany
- Size: 58cm x 43cm
Condition
Excellent; Very good to excellent condition. Dark impression with full margins and recent, professional hand-colouring. Some light toning to margin edges. Centre-fold prominent, with usual repair visible alone the fold-line. The page has printing on both sides, so some bleed-through of the text on verso is faintly visible in some parts.
Framed, with UV protective glass.
