Nuremberg Chronicle — Folio XXV (25), 1493 - Hartmann Schedel

An original hand-coloured woodcut leaf from the first Latin edition of Hartmann Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle, printed at Nuremberg in 1493. Folio XXV brings classical mythology, the rulers of ancient Assyria and biblical genealogy together on a single sheet. The portraits are the work of the Nuremberg workshop of Michael Wohlgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff.

Sol, Diana and Ceres appear on the recto alongside a line of Assyrian rulers that includes Semiramis and Ninyas. The artists give these figures the dress and emblems of authority familiar in their own day. The contrasts between the figures are especially clear in hand colour, which draws attention to the headgear, robes and gestures within each small block. Schedel places the names beside the woodcuts so that the sequence can be read across the sheet as well as down the column of text.

The verso follows the descendants of the biblical patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob appear with Moses, Aaron, Miriam and figures associated with the tribes of Israel. The portraits give the dense Latin genealogies a visual structure. The sheet measures 44 × 31 cm and is in good condition, with a few small spots.