[God the Father]

Frontispiece for the first edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle.

Hartmann Schedel compiled what could be considered the world’s first encyclopedia when he wrote the Nuremberg Chronicle, first published in 1493. It is a defining work of the Humanist movement, synthesizing religion, geography, and classical history. The publication is described by SMU’s Bridwell Library as

“a history of the world from the Creation to the year 1493, [and] was the most profusely illustrated book printed during the fifteenth century. It contains more than 900 different woodcuts by Michael Wohlgemut, Hans Pleydenwurff, and the 21-year-old Albrecht Durer. The most famous of the woodcuts include two-page views of several major European cities, large illustrations of the Six Days of Creation, and the elaborate frontispiece (shown here), which depicts the Creator enthroned above a pair of shields presented by wild men.”

The shields were intentionally left blank, so that the buyer of the expensive volume could have their own coat of arms inserted and thus visible when the book was first opened. Above the image of God the Father, likely based on a drawing by the young Durer, is a scroll containing a portion of Psalm 32, reading Ipse dixit et facta sunt: ipse mandavit et creata sunt (God said Let There Be and All Things Were Made). Latin text on the verso, with the heading “Epitoma operu fex dieru de mudi fabrica Prologus Folii I” (The epitome of six days of work creating the world Prologue Page I).

As an incunabulum (15th century printed work), the title page is exceptionally scarce, especially in such good condition. It’s estimated that approximately 400 copies of the first Latin edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle have survived into the 21st century.

Source.

Wilson, A., & Wilson, J. L. (1976). The Making of the Nuremberg Chronicle (First Edition). Nico Israel.