MANUSCRIPTS (by location)
[Berlin, Staatsbibliothek Preuß. Kulturbesitz, germ.623]
Rudolf von Ems: Weltchronik / Der Stricker: Karl der Grosse. Vollständiges Faksimile mit Echtgold des Handschriften-Fragments Ms germ. fol. 623 der Staatsbibliothek Berlin. Einführung von Wolfgang Irtenkauf.
Stuttgart: Verlag Müller & Schindler, 1980. 18 x 27 cm, 46, 60 pp.

Limited edition of 950 copies. €896  [3-87560-030-4] 

[Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Mss.h.h.I.16]
Diebold Schillings Spiezer Bilderchronik.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1990. 28 x 39 cm, 808, 600 pp.

This final work of Schilling the Elder was commissioned by Rudolf von Erlach in 1479. It covers the foundation of Berne up to the year 1465. The beautiful illuminated manuscript derives its name from the castle of Spiez where it was kept until 1875. Commentary in German and French. Limited edition of 980 copies. Binding recreates original, in embossed leather, on four double ribs, & 2 clasps.  

[Bogotá, Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia, ms. 291 (Palomino 807)]
El carnero. Conquista y descubrimiento del nuevo reino de granada.
Colección Thesaurus Americae, 2. Madrid: Testimonio, 1994. 21 x 31 cm, 180 pp + commentary.

El Carnero is not only a historical chronicle and witchery breviary, but an anthology of picaresque tales written by a pre-Voltairian priest, Juan Rodríguez Freyle in the city of Sante Fé de Bogotá. The writer was born in 1566 in Bogotá and died there in 1640. He was in Spain for six years and then returned to the New World where he married and searched continuously for treasures. It was the search for El Dorado which spurred on the conquistadors, but Rodriquez Freyle, after many failed adventures found his promised land in the pages of this book which has become more and more valuable with the passing of time. The magic of El Carnero capitivates the reader with all the fantasies of the mestizo culture and the strength of a language, anachronistic but alive, which recreates a world permanently in a trance of adventure, fusion and change. Transcription by Delia Palomino Urbano, commentary by R.H. Moreno-Durán. Limited edition of 980 bound in full leather with generous tooling. €775 [84-95767-54-6] 

[Bremen, Universitätsbibliothek, a.33]
Sächsische Weltchronik. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Bremen, Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Ms.a.33. Einführung zum Werk und Beschreibung der Handschrift von Dieter Hägermann.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 14. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1989. 17 x 25 cm, 23 pp, 4 fiches.

North German vellum MS, 102 fols., dating after 1260. Gothic text minuscule. This magnificent codex contains close to 400 miniatures on a gold ground, half of them “portraits” of biblical and royal characters. The scenes from secular history include royal ceremonies, the placing of the bones of Charlemagne in the Cathedral at Aachen, and other noteworthy events. Striking are the accurate representations of objects from daily life: wagons, animals, dwellings, ships, etc. The Sächsische Weltchronik is considered one of the earliest narrative records of popular German culture from the Middle Ages. The text is in North German dialect. Linen. €280 [3-89219-014-3]  (more info... )

[Dublin, private collection Sean Galvin]
Códice Murúa.
Colección Thesaurus Americae, [5]. Madrid: Testimonio, 2004. 20 x 30 cm, 290, 277 pp.

At the end of the 16th c. a set of chronicles appeared in Perú which had as its central theme the cultures of the prehispanic and autochthonous populations. These chronicles had two authors: Fray Martín de Murúa, a priest, and Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, an indigene, who included in their works a great number of illustrations. There is evidence that the two authors knew each other and a great number of the illustrations in the priest’s work were executed by Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. The work of the latter “El Primer Nuova Cronica y Buen Gobierno” (c.120 pages) has 399 drawings. The priest is the author of two codices, one—presented here for the first time in facsimile—is known as the Galvin Manuscript—named after its owner and is kept in Dublin, Ireland. It dates from 1590 and has additions that go as far back as the beginning of the 16th c. Its title “Historia y Genealogía Real de los Reyes Incas del Perú, de sus hechos, costumbres, trajes y manera de Gobierno” tells us about the history, genealogy of the Inca Kings and of their customs, temples, cities, prisons, costumes, dresses and ways of government. The drawings show both an European and an indigene artist. As mentioned, this work had never been published but its text was known thanks to a copy made in 1890, known as the Loyola Ms. That copy did not reproduce the 113 watercolors of the original displayed now faithfully in this fantastic facsimile. The other codex of Fray Martín de Murúa was discovered in the 1940s, disseminated in two editions and known as the Wellington Manuscript. Commentary by Juan Ossio. Limited edition of 980 copies, bound in full vellum with leather ties after the original. €1700 [84-95767-27-9]  (more info... )

[Escorial, Biblioteca del Monasterio, Ç.IV.5]
Relación de Michoacán o Códice de Michoacán.
Colección Thesaurus Americae, 3. Madrid: Testimonio, 2001. 15 x 21 cm 2 vols, 306, 606 pp.

Michoacán (“place of the fish”) is a territory in the middle western part of México which belonged to the Tarasco or Purepecha Kingdom. This codex, copied in the years 1539-1540, contains the narration of a Franciscan monk, whom the American historian Dr. Benedict Warren identified as Fray Gerónimo de Alcalá. The period covered by his relation goes from the beginning of the XIII century to the XVI century. The narration is in 3 parts: I (now lost) - dealt with the gods and main religious fests of the people of Tarasco. II - consists of 35 chapters and relates the wars and settlement in Michoacán. III - 29 chapters, deals with the forms of government, marriage celebrations and the arrival of the Spaniards. The codex is an exceptional document, a testimony of the old, courageous and invincible people of Tarasco. The relation of their settlement, wars, customs, religion and forms of government, accompanied by their illustrations is an invaluable treasure not only for México but for America. Only now with this facsimile, taking advantage of the best technology of today, do we have a reproduction so close to the original to allow us to fully appreciate and study the codex. Commentary by Armando Mauricio, María del Carmen Hidalgo, Vicenta Cortés, Benedic Warren, Francisco Miranda, Juan José Batalla & Gerardo Sánchez. Full leather. [84-88829-99-X]  (more info... )

[Escorial, Biblioteca del Monasterio, vitr.21-23 (28.i.11/28.i.10/28.i.12)]
Historia genealógica y heráldica de los emperadores, reyes y nobles de europa.
Colección Carlos V, 1. Madrid: Testimonio, 1997-2004 35.2 x 50 cm. 3 vols, 454, 436, 404 pp + commentary.

One of the jewels of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo is the luxurious three-volume history: "Book of Dynasties", written in 1547-48 and dedicated to Philip II. The texts, in Latin and German, describe the world from biblical times until the middle of the 16th c., with it historical perspective being Charles V, whose universal empire is seen as the result of a historical process which started with Noah. Volume I—"Historia originis et succesionis regnorum et imperiorum a Noe ad Carolum"—, provided with 227 miniatures, covers the history in terms of Old Testament prophecy. Volume II—"Historia originis et nobilitatis Hispaniae et Germaniae"—, with 137 miniatures, takes the form of a hierarchical presentation of European countries and their possessions, beginning with the Kingdom of Spain, following with principalities and counties, to independent feudal states like Russia and Switzerland, listing their sovereigns from as far back as mythical and legendary times. Volume III—"Historia nobilitates et torneamentorum"—, decorated with 31 miniatures, concentrates on the nobility, its origins back to mythology, and its rights from moral and political viewpoints. Bound in full leather, with generous tooling. €11275 [84-88829-45-0] 

[Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurentiana, plut. 218, 219, 220]
Bernardino da Sahagún. Historia universal de las cosas de Nueva España.
Florence: Giunti Barbèra, 1995. 22 x 32.5 cm, 3 vols, 3,120 pp.

Compiled between 1576 and 1577 and known as the “Florentine Codex”, this bilingual MS (Castilian and Nahua) contains information and lavish illustrations about pre-Hispanic civilizations in Mexico. It is the only known complete text of Fra Bernardino (b.1499) who entered the Franciscan order and arrived in Mexico in 1529. The books are indigenous accounts verbalized by Fra Bernardino from the year 1559. In 1569, after reorganizing and correcting the accounts gathered directly from various sources, he eventually drafted a complete version of the entire Historia. The codex reached the Biblioteca Palatina of the Grand Duke of Tuscany around 1589, probably a gift from Philip II. Hardbound, with slipcase. [16171-M] 

[Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, CL. XIII.3 (B.R. 232)]
Codex Magliabechiano Cl. XIII. 3 (B. R. 232). Anon. Vida de los Indios.
Codices Selecti, XXIII. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1970. 15.5 x 21.5 cm, 186, 78 pp.

From the library of Antonio de Marco Magliabechi from which it gets its name, this Codex is a post pre-Columbian witness to Mexican Aztec religious ritual with generous commentaries in Spanish, although it preserves the native technique. The early colonial period work, copied on paper, consists of divine mantles, a series of day signs, a 52-year cycle, including vivid depictions of the gods of the veintenas, movable feasts, pulque gods, gods of sickness, death and funerary rites—in all a treasure of ethnographic information. Commentary (in German, with summaries in English & Spanish) by F. Anders. Full-color facsimile edition, in handsome clamshell case bound in half leather. €390 [3-201-00763-3] 

[Gotha, Forschungs- und Landesbibliothek, Memb.I 90]
Buch der Welt. Die Sächsische Weltchronik.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1996-2000. 22.5 x 31 cm, 330 pp + commentary.

In the famous library of the Castle of Gotha in Thüringen rests this rare illustrated book, the oldest German universal history, a parchment MS under the signature Memb. I 90. The book was brought to Gotha twice: during the 17th c. it came from Wittenburg, the city of Martin Luther, and then hundreds of years later, in the 20th c., it arrived from Leningrad, were the codex had been held as war booty. The two most important medieval documents in the field of history and geography are the Weltchronik of Rudolf von Ems and the Sächsische Weltchronik; the former, written in verse, came from the region of Lake Constance with such urban centers as Zürich and Constance; the latter, written in prose, originated in the land of the Elbe in the millieu of intellectual centers like Magdeburg and Halle. The Sächsische Weltchronik tells the history of the world from its beginning, from the creation of Adam and Eve and finishes with the Kingdom of the last Staufer monarch. The histories are narrated in a compressed form accompanied by 500 pictures. These miniatures are so vivid and full of fantasy that they leave engraved in our mind the figures and events that played an important role in the development of western civilization. Commentary by Maria Mitscherling, Karin Schneider, Rudolf Grosse, Renata Kroos & Hubert Herkommer. Limited edition of 980 copies, bound in full leather with brass clasps.  

[Hamburg, Staats- & Universitätsbibl., cod. 8]
Historienbibel. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift. Hamburg, Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Cod.8 in scrinio. Beschreibung der Handschrift und Aonmerkungen zum Übersetzungswerk von Anna Katharina Hahn.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 47. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1997. 17 x 25 cm, 61 pp, 13 fiches.

Wiener Neustadt, 1458 (and later). Paper, 460 fols., 2 cols. This history bible is an abbreviated translation of the first part of the Old Testament (from Genesis through the 2 Maccabees) of the “Historia scholastica” by Petrus Comestor, combined with selected passages of secular history from the “Weltchronik” by Heinrich von München, and some extracts of the books of the Prophets. The headings of the divisions are in red, some in large textura, and the main headings to the biblical books include sometimes summaries. The MS is decorated with 421 miniatures, and with 28 large, partly historiated initials, linked to simple border decorations, that mark the beginnings of the biblical books. The picture cycle begins with the Creation and the Fall of Angels for the prologue, followed by 8 presentations of the Days of Creation, and then illustrates events in the history of mankind from the Fall of Man through the Roman emperor Octavian and Cleopatra, concluding with 6 miniatures for the Books of the Prophets. The biblical scenes are furnished with many details, figures with fine facial expressions are well proportioned, wearing richly varied clothes with nice drops of folds. Linen. €475 [3-89219-047-X]  (more info... )

[Hamburg, Staats- & Universitätsbibl., cod. 11-11a]
Loher und Maller. Übertragen aus dem Französischen von Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken. Hamburg, Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Cod.11 und 11a in scrinio. Farbmikrofiche-Edition. Literar- und kunsthistorische Einführung und kodikologische Beschreibung von Ute von Bloh
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 35. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1995. 17 x 25 cm, 46 pp, 5 fiches.

Saarbrücken?, after 1455. Paper, 143 fols., 2 cols., 160 (of originally 197) tinted pen-drawings with headings in red, and large initials at the beginnings of chapters. All drawings are pasted. This MS was probably commissioned by Elisabeth of Lorraine (1393-1456), married to count Philipp I of Nassau-Saarbrücken, for her younger son Johann III (1423-1472), whose arms are displayed at the beginning. The lost literary source of this chronicle may have been a French chanson-de-geste “Lohier et Mallart”, telling the story of Loher (Lothaire), presented as the elder son of Charlemagne. Supported by the layout of the large sized MS the performance of history can be read in a trilingual hierarchy: by the headings that supply the names of the main figures, and sites of their ongoing actions, thus relating the central "historical" events in a straight and consequent line. Next there are the pictures telling the episodic story in a far more detailed manner, and last the descriptive text using the form of dialogues, moralizing excursions and commentaries. The style of multi-scenic genre painting may be northern French or Flemish school, and the composition of the pen drawings prove a skilled artist and accomplished practitioner with good textual knowledge, as well as knowledge of courtly, religious, legal, military, political, and clerical customs, as well and insight into topographical aspects of certain cities. This picture cycle is remarkable for its iconographic invention. Linen. €285 [3-89219-035-6]  (more info... )

[Hamburg, Staats- & Universitätsbibl., cod. 151]
Historiae romanorum. Codex 151 in scrin. der Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg. Beschrieben und mit Anmerkungen von Tilo Brandis und Otto Pächt.
Frankfurt am Main: Edition Propyläen, 1974. 10.9 x 14.4 cm, 250 pp + commentary.

Often cited as the “Liber ystoriarum Romanorum”, this MS dates from the last quarter of the 13th c. It is written in Roman Latin and contains a sequence of anecdotes from the Legendary, Republican and Imperial periods of Rome. The tales begin with Nimrod and the Tower of Babel and provide a survey of important events from the founding of Rome to the 7th c. 83 miniatures interspersed in the text form a comprehensive cycle unparalleled in contemporary sources, and are of utmost importance for the study of antiquity in medieval Italy and particulary Rome. Commentary: Tilo Brandis and Otto Pächt. Limited edition of 250 copies, bound in half vellum.  

[Kassel, Landes- & Murhardsche Bibliothek, 2º Ms. theol. 4]
Rudolf von Ems. Weltchronik. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Kassel, Gesamthochschul-Bibliothek/Landesbibliothek und Murhardsche Bibliothek, 2° Ms.theol.4. Literarhistorische Einführung von Kurt Gärtner; Beschreibung der Handschrift von Hartmut Broszinski.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 12. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1989. 17 x 25 cm, 27 pp, 7 fiches.

Northern Italian (?) vellum MS, 295 fols., dating from 1385. Gothic bookhand. The MS is sumptuously decorated with 153 miniatures, mostly framed in red, possibly by a Venetian artist. The finely shaped faces of the figures stand somewhat in contrast to their plump and stout bodies. The miniatures illustrate the biblical part of the history of the world up to Daniel 4:30 with the exception of 3 miniatures with Alexandrian themes. Contains 13 large partially historiated initials. The scribe calls himself Federicius. The first almost complete Weltchronik in German verse up to the time of the poet is transmitted here. Rudolf died in Italy in 1254 before completing the work, presumably in the service of Conrad IV. His work was finished by a successor, who subsequently enlarged it. The dialect of the MS points to a Bavarian model. Linen. €335 [3-89219-012-7]  (more info... )

[Linz, Bundesstaatliche Studienbibl. cod.472]
Christherre – Chronik. Linz, Bundesstaatliche Studienbibliothek, cod.472. Farbmikrofiche-Edition. Einführung in den Text und Beschreibung der Handschrift von Ralf Plate.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 29. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1994. 17 x 25 cm, 50 pp, 12 fiches.

Bavarian-Austrian, last quarter of the 14th c. Vellum, 331 fols., 2 cols., 388 framed tinted pen drawings that are mostly single-column in width and placed within the text (blank places are left for 21 non accomplished drawings). 16 large initials in red and blue and versified headings in decorative script open the main chapters, lombardic letters in red or blue mark the breaks. This universal chronicle from the Creation to the Time of Kings ends abruptly with Elia carried away by the fire car and the Punishment of the mocking children of Bethel (4 Reg 4,1-7). Interpolated is a section of the “Trojan War” by Konrad von Würzburg. The versified chronicle is gradually divided into 5 world eras (Creation, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Troja, David and Elia) and the Bible books. The picture cycle is the most extended in chronicles of the 14th c., thus visualizing a chain of biblical events for the Old Testament. The anonymous compilation of the “Christherre-Chronik” had been commissioned originally by Heinrich dem Erlauchten, Landgraf von Thüringen (1218-1288). Linen. €390 [3-89219-029-1]  (more info... )

[Lisbon, Academia das Ciências, MS 1-A-L]
Crónica geral de Espanha de 1344.
A Coruña: Xuntanza Editorial, 2007. 31.5 x 44.5 cm, 2 vols, 648 pp + commentary.

The miniatures of this exceptional illuminated Codex, dated in 1344 and written in Galician & Portuguese, are without paragon among other Portuguese and Castillian manuscripts. The abundance and richness of its over 1300 illuminations, the ornaments, colors and gold of the initials are stunning. The beautiful gothic handwriting in two columns with 42 or 43 lines is very similar to MS “Leal Consejero” and the “Libro de la Enseñanza del Bien Cabalgar” kept at the Bibliotheque National in Paris. MS 1-A-L Blues Series, kept at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, has been attributed to D. Pedro, Count of Barcelos, son of King D. Dinis and great grandson of Alfonso X El Sabio. He revived and revised the cronicle of his great grandfather which had been forgotten for close to three centuries. Commentary by Luis Filipe Lindley Cintra. Limited edition of 999 copies bound in full parchment. with deluxe clamshell case. €5940   

[London, British Library, Add. 47967]
The Tollemache Orosius. British Museum Additional Manuscript 47967. Edited by Alistair Campbell.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 3. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1953. 28 x 31 cm, 27, 174 pp.

Collotype. The vernacular prose version of Orosius’ “History of the World” was one of the main productions of the literary circle associated with the court of King Alfred. It is perhaps best known for its striking original additions, including its account of the geography of northern Europe and the famous accounts of the voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan. Half-morocco binding.  

[London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius B.v., part 1]
An Eleventh-Century Anglo-Saxon Illustrated Miscellany. British Library Cotton Tiberius B.v, Part I. Together with Leaves from British Library Cotton Nero D.II. Edited by P. McGurk, D.N. Dumville, M.R. Godden, Ann Knock.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 21. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1983. 109, 189 pp.

The original parts of Cotton Tiberius B. v, vol. 1, consist of an illustrated miscellany of computistical, astromonical and geographical matter written during the first half of the 11th c., perhaps at Winchester. It was at Battle Abbey by the 12th c. It contains both Latin and English texts. The Latin material includes a metrical calendar, Cicero’s “Aratea”, a versified translation of a Greek astronomical text; and Priscian’s “Periegesis”, another verse translation, this time of a Greek verse text describing the whole world. The metrical calendar was considered by the late Edmund Bishop to be the production of an Irishman at King Alfred’s court. In Bishop’s words: “it is in the highest degree interesting as the only liturgical document that comes down to us from Alfred’s times or the early days of Edward the Elder”. The English material in the MS includes includes Ælfric’s “De temporibus anni”. There are also a Latin text and an English one of an account of the “Marvels of the East”. The book is lavishly illustrated. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €1060  

[London, British Library, Stowe 944, etc.]
The Liber Vitae of the New Minster and Hyde Abbey Winchester. British Library Stowe 944, together with Leaves from British Library Cotton Vespasian A. VIII and British Library Cotton Titus D. XXVII. Edited by Simon Keynes.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 26. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1996. 30 x 40 cm, 132, 21 + 138 pp.

Collotype. Written c.1031 by the monk Ælsinus, the MS lists the brethen, monks, etc. of the community of New Minster (later Hyde Abbey) and contains other texts of singular interest, including a copy of the will of King Alfred. Three pages of fine line drawings include the famous representation of King Cnut. The lists of names, kept up to date until the 16th c., afford an extraordinary insight, only appreciable in facsimile, into the changing nature of a monastic community. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €1170  

[Lucern, Zentralbibliothek, S. 23]
Lucerne Chronicles of Diebold Schilling.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1981. 28.5 x 39.5 cm, 680 pp + commentary.

The Lucerne Chronicle of Diebold Schilling, a Swiss history in pictures, from the year 1513, is considered the most beautiful of all illuminated chronicles ever made in the Swiss Confederation. It reflects the political, social, economic and religious life of a medieval town and of a whole country, and depicts a wide range of medieval subjects. The Chronicle provides a true mine of information for any historic discipline. Two painters participated in the decoration of the work; some pictures are by Diebold Schilling and others by an unknown master. Diebold Schilling’s was a more naive, precise technique, and strong colors which show the influence of the Gothic style. The illustrations of the unknown master are carried out in brighter colors and his brush painting is influenced by the Renaissance. Commentary provides full transcription of text and historical and artistic analysis. Bound in tooled leather, decorated with brass fittings, central rosettes and designs after the original.  

[Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, Matr. Graecus vitr. 26-2]
Joannis Scylitzae. Synopsis Historiarum. Codex Matritensis Graecus vitr. 26-2 (Facsimile Edition).
Athens: Militos Editions, 2000. 28 x 38 cm. 494, 257 pp.

Full-color facsimile of the only remaining illustrated chronicle in the Greek tongue which has been preserved from the Byzantine period. Contains 574 miniatures which illustrate the narrative of the text, conceived as a continuation of the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor and the history of Byzantium from 811 to 1057. Commetary in Gr-Sp-Eng. by Pedro Bádenas de la Penã. Clamshell case. €450  [9-60846-016-6] 

[Madrid, Biblioteca del Palacio Real]
Codice Veitia. Biblioteca del Palacio Real, Madrid.
Colección Tabula Americae, 4. Madrid: Testimonio, 1986. 14 x 22 cm, 2 vols, 138, 165 pp.

One of the few Mexican codices saved from destruction. Codex Veitia dates from 1755 and tells us the ways in which the Indians celebrated their festivals. It is one of the last in a large important family of Mexican codices known as the Magliabecchiano group, which includes codices Magliabecchiano, Tudela, and Ixtlilxochitl. Codex Veitia takes its name from the scholar who commissioned it, Don Mariano Fernándex de Echevarría y Veytia. 22 pages of colored drawings make up the codex proper, with additional texts explaining various themes in Aztec culture. The ms consists of six parts: 1) Mexican counting system; 2) The way in which Indians celebrated their feasts; 3) The gods and the Main Temple of Mexico City; 4) Chronology of the foundation of Mexico City; 5) Ixtlilxochitl calendar; 6) Notes on the calendar. Commentary: José Alcina Franch. €1475 [84-86290-08-2] 

[Madrid, Museo de América]
Codex Tro-Cortesianus (Codex Madrid).
Codices Selecti, VIII. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1967. 12.5 x 23 cm, 112 pp (in folded format), 54 pp.

This codex is one of the four extant Mayan sources in the world and an essential reference work for any study of the Mayan culture. It dates from the 15th c. and came to Spain in two parts, one with Cortés himself and one witih Juan de Tro. Drawn on both sides of a 6.83 meter long piece of fig-bark paper, and folded like an accordeon, it includes divinatory almanacs on a number of themes (information on the gods of the days and which are unfavorable or unfavorable for the sowing crops or hunting; there are also passages on astronomical matters). Commentary volume with contributions by F. Sauer, J. Stummvoll & F. Anders. Limited edition in the original accordian format, with clamshell case in half leather. €590 [3-201-00759-5] 

[Madrid, Museo de América]
Códice Trocortesiano.
Colección Tabula Americae, 12. Madrid: Testimonio, 1991. 12 x 22 cm, accordion of 108 panels, 136 pp.

This codex is one of the four extant Mayan sources in the world and an essential reference work for any study of the Mayan culture. It dates from the 15th c. and came to Spain in two parts, one with Cortés himself and one witih Juan de Tro. Drawn on both sides of a 6.83 meter long piece of fig-bark paper, and folded like an accordeon, it includes divinatory almanacs on a number of themes (information on the gods of the days and which are unfavorable or unfavorable for the sowing crops or hunting; there are also passages on astronomical matters). This deluxe facsimile captures every nuance of the original including the texture of the unusual writing material. Commentary by Manuel Ballesteros Gaibrois & Miguel Rivera Dorado. Limited edition of 980 copies, with display case. €2650 [84-86290-35-X] 

[Madrid, Museo de América]
Códice de Tudela.
Colección Thesaurus Americae, [4]. Madrid: Testimonio, 2002. 16 x 22 cm. 125 pp + commentary

The Tudela Codex, also called Codex of the America Museum, was executed in the middle of the 16th c. in central Mexico during the early years of the Conquest. The book has 3 other manuscripts attached to it: The Indigeneous Book, The European Painted Book and The European Written Book. The first one (fol. 11-25) was painted c.1540 in a prehispanic style and contains iconographic information and writings about Mexican or Aztecan religion: calendaries, rituals, gods, death, etc. The European Painted Book was attached to the Codex in 1554, (fols. 1-10; only 4 survive) and portrays different groups of indigenes paired in couples, man/woman in a European renaissance style. The European Written Book from around 1553-1554 gathers commentaries on the paintings by an anonymous author. The Tudela Codex is of great importance not only as a primary source for the knowledge of Aztecan religion but because it originated, through the Indigene Book, another set of nine documents known as the Magliabechiano Group. In this manner Codex Tudela, besides its valuable religious and ethnographic contents, shows through its relationship with the Magliabechiano Group the changes or deteriorations that occured in the copying of paintings from one to another source taking those of the Tudela Codex as the point of departure. Commentary by Juan Jose Batalla. Limited edition of 980 copies bound in full leather with generous tooling. €1400  

[Madrid, Museo del Prado]
El libro de retratos, letreros e insignias reales de los Reyes de Oviedo, León y Castilla.
Códices Artísticos, 8. Madrid: EDILAN, 1985. 23 x 34 cm, 128, 21 pp.

Commentary by Fernando Collar de Cáceres. Limited numbered edition of 1000 copies. [84-85197-33-X] 

[Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Cod. 35-52]
Matrícula de Tributos (Códice de Moctezuma).
Codices Selecti, LXVIII. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1980. 29 x 42 cm, 46 pp, 16 plates.

Color facsimile, reproduced to 7/10s of the original size. Along with Codex Mendoza the most important surviving pictographic record of the towns and tribute goods of the 33 provinces comprising the central Mexican empire in the early 16th century. None of the pictographic content or style betrays any European influence. It does not employ, like other indigenous Mesoamerican codices, the screen-fold style. The document’s potential in resolving research problems is great: it could provide important clues to the nature of Aztec writing, especially through intensive study of the numerous place-glyphs. Contains the most important surviving documents concerning the sources, types, amounts, and periodicity of payments of the vast quantities of tribute which sustained México-Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztecs at the time of the conquest. Introduction by J. de Durand-Forest & Frances F. Berdan. €190 [3-201-01130-4] 

[Montecassino, Archivio dell’Abbazia, casin, 132]
Rabanus Maurus. De universo. Casin, 132, secolo XI. Archivio dell’Abbazia dei Montecassino.
Scarmagno: Priuli & Verlucca Editori, 1996. 35 x 49 cm, 530, 216 pp

The archive of the Montecassino Abbey, the religious community founded by St. Benedict in the 6th century that was the hub of medieval monastic life, boasts the invaluable Rabanus Maurus Cassinese MS, which was produced at Montecassino during the time of Abbot Theobald (1022-35) and contains the great encyclopedic dictionary De Universo, or De rerum naturis, which Rabanus Maurus (780-865), a monk from Fulda who became Bishop of Mainz, wrote in the 9th century, at the zenith of the Carolingian epoch. This large-format codex consists of 530 pages in Beneventan script, splendidly illustrated with over 360 miniatures with lively figures and colors. The true importance of the codex goes beyond its artistic merit, since De Universo is one of the leading medieval encylopedias and the first one compiled after two centuries of silence, that is, after St. Isidore of Seville's Etymologies. And although Rabanus drew inspiration from this latter work, De Universo surpasses it for the grandiosity of its concepts and its noble aim of spreading knowledge. The work is like an immense library of knowledge that covers the entire Middle Ages, a combination and cross-section of various aspects: the historical and biblical tradition of the Church, books and culture, the animal and plant worlds, descriptions of human life, the nature of the soul and body, monsters and miracles, celestial phenomena and the calculation of time, weights and measures, minerals and metals, the organisation of states, music, medicine, agriculture, the science of war, manual labour, diet, everyday tools and objects. There is no facet of the Middle Ages that is not discussed in this encyclopedia, which mirrors the entire civilisation of the time. Furthermore, the miniatures, which illustrate every subject in marvellous scenes, faithfully follow the style and aim of the text, making the codex a grand fresco of the universal order. Commentary (It-Eng), edited by Guglielmo Cavallo. Limited edition of 500 copies. bound in quarter brown calfskin, with wooden boards and tie-strings. €8450   

[Oxford, Bodleian Library, Laud Misc. 636]
The Peterborough Chronicle. The Bodleian Manuscript Laud Misc. 636. Edited by Dorothy Whitelock with an Appendix by Cecily Clark.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 4. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1954. 43, pp.

Collotype. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, another of the great enterprises in English prose that were undertaken in the reign of King Alfred, is our most important source for the political history of the long period it covers. All the versions of it extant today have a complicated textual history, and the Laud MS, commonly cited as “E”, is no exception. It is one of the two which represent what is known as the northern recension of the Chronicle, a compilation which contains in the early years much material of northern interest and which was put together almost certainly at York. But by about the middle of the 11th c. the asociations of E’s text are with Canterbury. E itself is a copy made at Peterbourough in 1121. Further annals were added to it there until 1155 or soon after. Thus it is the version of the Chronicle which continues some three quarters of a century longer than any other (except a fragment). Its interest to the historian cannot be overestimated. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €720  

[Princeton, Princeton Univ., Scheide Library]
The Blickling Homilies (The John H. Scheide Library, Titusville, Pennsylvania). Edited by Rudolphe Willard.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 10. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1960. 28 x 35 cm, 72, 153 pp (=300 MS pp).

Collotype. The facsimile presents scholars with a much needed opportunity, for the MS itself, formerly in the library of Blickling Hall, Norfolk, and now in private ownership in the U.S., has never been much studied at first hand. It contains an ordered collection of Old English homilies, dated by its handwritingto the end of the 10th c. or the beginning of the 11th, accompanied by a mid-15th c. calendar and early 14th-c. gospel passages used for the administration of oaths. It was in the possession of the City of Lincoln until 1724, and this ownership is witnessed by numerous civis marginalia recorded there between 1304 and 1623. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €830  

[Rochester, St. Andrew’s Priory]
Textus Roffensis, Part I. Edited by Peter Sawyer.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 7. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1957. 23, 242 pp.

Collotype. Legal documents detailing the laws of King William I of England; they are a record of land ownership (like the Domesday Book) and they come, in part or whole, from Anglo-Saxon literature. Compiled at Rochester during the bishopric of Ernulf the documents include a register of royal charters and grants to Rochester Cathedral. It is a compilation of outstanding importance because it contains codes and parts of codes, particularly of the early laws of Kent, which do not survive elsewhere. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €820  

[Rochester, St. Andrew’s Priory]
Textus Roffensis, Part II. Edited by Peter Sawyer.
Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, 11. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1962. 42, 234 pp.

Collotype. This volume reproduces the second part of the codex. Written at Rochester in 1122 or soon after by the scribe who wrote the first part, is basically a cartulary of Rochester Priory. It is a collection of documents that is most valuable for both pre- and post-Conquest history, some forty of them being before the Conquest. Its importance has long been recognised, but the printed version fails to distinguish the original cartulary from additions and alterations made to it later in the 12th c., so that the present facsimile makes it possible for scholars to study the detail of this MS properly for the first time. Half-morocco binding (also available in wrappers for c.25% less). €860  

[Rome, Bibl. Nazionale Centrale, Vitt. Em.2 93; Modena, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, It. 720 (=alfa L.5.16)]
Genealogia dei Principi d’Este. Vitt.Em.293 della Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma; alpha L.5.16=Ital.720 della Biblioteca Estense Universitaria di Modena.
Ars Illuminandi. Modena: Il Bulino, 1996. 26 x 38 cm, 24, 206 pp.

A sort of “portrait gallery” of Este princes copied by one illuminator of Bonifacio Bembo’s circle (c.1474-79). The MS, unique in its genealogical and iconographical approach, and as a history of dress, was intended as a noble "family album" to show important guests the family's wealth, power and illustrious origins. 169 members of the Este dynasty are portrayed, belonging to the first four centuries of Este rule - from 1095 to 1479. The facsimile reunites two fragments, one in Modena, the other in Rome. Commentary (in Italian) by Ernesto Milano, Francesca Niutta, Margherita Maria Breccia Fratadocchi & Mauro Bini. Limited edition of 333 copies, bound with blue velet, with clamshell case in laid paper. €1400 [88-86251-20-3] 

[St. Gall, Vadiana Cantonal Library]
Rudolf von Ems: Weltchronik / Der Stricker: Karl der Grosse.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1982. 20 x 30 cm, 2 vols, 588, 370 pp.

214 double pages with 47 miniatures plus 76 Two major Middle Age German works are united in this codex. The World Chronicle is followed by Stricker’s Charlemagne, which stems from the old French La chanson de Roland and tells of the beginning of the Western Empire. The World Chronicle by Rudolf von Ems covers the history of the world from the creation until the death of Solomon in over 33,000 verses. Original in the Vadiana Cantonal Library in St. Gall. Separate commentary volume in Ger Limited edition of 980 copies. Binding matches original, in cowhide with brass clasps and fittings.  

[St. Petersburg, Russian National Library, ФP.Fv.III,4]
Libro de los Tesoros.
Barcelona: M. Moleiro Editor, 1999. 25 x 34 cm, 300 pp + commentary.

Encyclopedic work of Brunetto Latini (c.1230-1294), Florentine politician, poet, historian-philosopher, and friend of Dante. Written in French during the author’s exile in France (1260-1267), it consists of three books. The first begins with a biblical history, the history of Troy, Rome and the Middle Ages, followed by a compilation of information about astronomy and geography. It also addresses certain animal and bird species in depth. The second book concerns ethics: the thinking of modern and classical moralists, and studies the vices and virtues that characterize humanity. The third book, and most original part of this work, deals with matters related to politics and the art of government. The miniatures in this codex are extremely rich and varied. The artist’s boundless imagination fills the margins of the 18 folios with countless arabesques and drolleries which constitute one of the most highly developed, most interesting and earliest series of this genre in the history of the European miniature. There are also countless beasts, grotesque and peculiar figures, dwarves up to all sorts of tricks, acrobats doing balancing acts and juggling, musicians playing trumpets, flutes, violas, tambourines, organs and bagpipes. Birds, hares, fawns, lions and hounds hunting boars, and even the creation of Eve are depicted too. Bound in brown leather with mosaic motifs and leather case. [84-88526-52-0] 

[Santiago de Compostela, Archivo de la Catedral]
Jacobus: Codex Calixtinus de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela.
Madrid: Kaydeda Ediciones, 1993. 21 x 29.5 cm, 450+ transcription/translation pp.

Deluxe full-color facsimile. This MS, compiled around 1160, also known as the Book of St. James, is a jewel in medieval bibliography and one of the richest sources for historians, geographers, musicologists, sociologists, ethnologists, art historians and linguists. Consists of five “books”: I) sermons, texts and homilies for the liturgy of St. James; II) Book of Miracles, a collection of 22 miracles credited to St. James; III) narration of the moving of St. James’ body from Palestine to Compostela; IV) history of Charlemagne and Roland; V) “Liber Peregrinationis” (Guide to the Pilgrim)–the oldest touristic guide of Europe. Musical settings include plainsong and polyphonic conducti, tropes, and organa. Limited edition of 845 copies, bound in full leather with matching slipcase.   (more info... )

[Überlingen, Leopold-Sophien-Bibliothek, ms 62; Bremgarten, Stadtarchiv, Ba Nr.2; Aarau, Aargauische Kantonsbibliothek,ms. Bibl. Zurl.Fol.]
Die Eidgenössiche Chronik des Wernher Schodoler.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1980-83. 29 x 41 cm, 3 vols, 1,468, 410 pp.

Describes the period between the foundation of Zürich, the early days of Lucerne and Einsiedeln up to the battle of Naefels and Appenzeller War and the council of Constance (1414-1418). Vol. 2 is almost entirely devoted to the Old Zürich War and vol. 3 covers the war between Berne and Freiburg. First time that the complete work has been reunited, edited and published. Originals in Aarau, Bremgarten and Uebenlingen. Commentary edited by Walther Benz, with contributions by Franz Bächtiger and others. Limited edition of 980 copies. Bound in pigskin with lavishly embossed cover, clasps and fittings.  

[Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 515]
Fragment der Lorscher Annalen (Codex vindobonensis 515).
Codices Selecti, XV. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1967. 27 x 18 cm, 16, 50 pp.

Although this MS consists now of only 8 leaves, it is of utmost value because of its early date and the texts contained in it, The most important text in the Lorsch Annals is the large fragment of the Annales Laureshamenses, beginning with the year 794 and ending in 803: it is the original MS of this capital source of the history of Charlemagne; the important facts of the reign are filled in year by year. Its author probably was Richbod, bishop of Trêves, who was abbot in Lorsch from 784 until 791/2; he died in 804, which fits in with the annal's ending in 803; the inferior Latin text makes it impossible for the MS to have been written or dictated directly by him. It was not written in Lorsch, but in a scriptorium of southwest Germany, perhaps Trêves. Later the MSwent to Reichenau, where the Old High German poem was written in a blank space and where the first apograph of the annals was made. The last text in the MS has recently been recognized as an important fragment of the Instructio ad competentes of Niceta Remesiana, a contemporary of Ambrosius, whose works are nearly completely lost. [3-201-00745-5] 

[Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 2533]
“Les Chroniques de Jherusalem Abregies" (Die Chronik des Kreuzfahrer-Königreiches Jerusalem. Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 2533).
Munich: Idion Verlag, 1980. 2°, 2 vols, 36, 16 pp.

Historical document of the Crusader Kingdom from its founding in the First Crusade until the fall of the Holy City. Originally from the library of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Limited edition of 950 copies.  

[Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 2768]
Heinrich von München. Weltchronik. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 2768. Einführung zum Werk und Beschreibung der Handschrift von Dorothea Klein.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 43. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1996. 17 x 25 cm, 77 pp, 14 fiches.

Bavaria, end of 14th c. Vellum, 400 fols., 2 cols., headings in red ink, large red or blue initials with decorative border bars. 226 framed miniatures mostly set before golden backgrounds. This compilation of a universal chronicle in verses is more comprehensive compared to earlier ones by Rudolf von Ems or the “Christherre-Chronik” (see Kassel, Landes- & Murhardsche Bibl., 2° Ms.theol.4; Linz, Bundesstaatl. Studienbibl., cod.472). The greatest part is dedicated to the books of the Old Testament; the events of the New Testament concentrate on the Life of Mary and the Childhood of Christ; then follow the annals of the Roman Empire and the history of popes between AD 14 when the Roman emperor Tiberius started his reign, and AD 44 when St Peter became first pope, up to the year 784 at the time of Charlemagne. Accordingly the iconographical program for the Old Testament parts is very rich: 198 Old Testament subjects from the Creation to the Coronation of king Herodes. For the time of the New Testament follows a sequence of 15 pictures to the Life of Mary and a cycle of 11 pictures (places are left blank for two not executed miniatures) to the Childhood of Christ (Nativity to Christ among the Doctors). The last annalistic part is illustrated by only two pictures: The Baptism of the emperor Constantine and the Julian-Apostata legend. Linen. €475 [3-89219-043-7]  (more info... )

[Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 2838]
Jean de Mandeville. Reisebeschreibung. Deutsch von Otto von Diemeringen. / Der Antichrist und die 15 Zeichen vor dem Jüngsten Gericht. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 2838. Einführung und Beschreibung von Klaus Ridder.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 24. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1992. 17 x 25 cm, 35 pp, 4 fiches (x98).

Lake Constance region, 1476. Paper, 180 fols., 2 cols., 252 tinted pen drawings. This work, from 1356, was originally composed in French and translated to German at the end of the 14th c. It was conceived as a pilgrims' guide to Jerusalem, starting at Constantinople, and mentioning historical places as Troja or Babylonia, and proceeding to the Near East. In the second part the traveling starts at Trapezus and continues to India, finally proceeding to China by passing north African and Middle Eastern countries. Biblical, legendary, miraculous, or historical events at different periods are reported according to the locality where they took place. The unframed drawings are spread very curiously about the pages, often occupying half a page, or the site borders, or in a stripe with simultaneous scenes over two facing pages. The presentation of illustrated events does not follow the chronological order as usual. Intentionally added by the same scribe is the “Life of Antichrist” and the “Fifteen Signs of Doomsday”, with 66 illustrations in a different style. Linen. €320 [3-89219-024-0]  (more info... )

[Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, A.F. 50]
Rosenkranz der Weltgeschichte. Subhat al-ahbar (Codex Vindobonensis AF 50).
Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1981. 18.5 x 30 cm, 34, 8 pp.

This MS, in Ottoman Turkish, outlines the genealogy of the Ottoman Sultans, from Adam, the first human being and prophet, to Sultan Mehmed IV (d. 1687). Genealogy was a major component of political ideology among Islamic dynasties, and this text follows a long tradition used in the medieval period. The pictorial content of the book traces the legitimacy of Ottoman rule showing a combination of divine sanction, Persian royal traditions, and the heritage of a flurry of Muslim dynasties that had ruled the central Islamic lands before them. It begins with a portrait of Adam and Eve, followed by numerous biblical (and other) prophets, Jesus, and Muhammad. Portraits of prophets occupy the right and center of pages and are flanked, on the left, by legendary Persian kings and heroes celebrated as paragons of power and virtue in Islamic royal traditions. After Muhammad, the subjects of the portraits change to religio-political figures from early Islamic centuries and rulers belonging to major dynasties; here MS depicts the first 4 caliphs, the 12 Shi'i Imams, and rulers from Abbasid, Samanid, Ghaznavid, Saljuq, Mongol, and various Turkic dynasties. The absence of the Umayyad and Timurid dynasties marks a significant ideological statement. The pictorial program eventually moves to the Ottoman dynasty with the portrait of Usman Ghazi, and then continues until Mehmed IV who is shown sitting on a throne with a Janissary soldier in the background. Commentary by Kurt Holter. Limited edition, bound in full leather. (text adapted from Shahzad Bashir) €79  [3-201-01174-6] 

[Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Guelf. 46 nov. 2º]
Historie von Herzog Herpin. Übertragen aus dem Französischen von Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Cod. Guelf. 46 Novissimi 2º. Kunsthistorische Einführung und Beschreibung der Handschrift von Eva Wolf.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 57. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 2000. 17 x 25 cm, 59 pp, 6 fiches.

Strasbourg(?), after 1455. Paper, 172 fols., 2 cols., 32 tinted pen drawings, captions in red ink. The source of this “History” is the 14th c. French “Lion de Bourges”. The smaller column-wide pictures mostly depict interior scenes, the larger two-column wide pictures are presentations of battles, sieges, and tournaments, they are multi-scenic with masses of figures that become smaller and smaller until vanishing in the perspective background, and with towns, villages, and buildings set in panoramic landscapes. The style of the pasted drawings refers to Flemish and French book painters about 1450, the formal composition is similar to illustrations in chronicles. The MS was probably commissioned by Elisabeth, niece of the Duke of Lorraine, for her son count Johann III (1423-1472), and forms a singular group together with three other "historic" works (see Hamburg, Staats- & Universitätsbibl., Cod. 11 und Cod. 12; Heidelberg, Universitätsbibl., cpg 152). Linen. €340 [3-89219-057-7]  (more info... )

[Würzburg, Universitätsbibliothek, M.p.th.q.8]
Vita Benedicti. Farbmikrofiche-Edition der Handschrift Würzburg, Universitätsbibliothek, M.p.th.q.8. Beschreibung der Bilderhandschrift von Hans Thurn; Edition der Bis bini-Verse von Reinhard Düchting.
Codices Illuminati Medii Aevi, 21. Munich: Edition Helga Lengenfelder, 1991. 17 x 25 cm, 39 pp, 1 fiche (x98).

Würzburg, St. Stephan, second third 15th c.; vellum, 29 fols. The pictorial manuscript contains 110 tinted pen drawings, most of them arranged in groups of two per page. The accompanying verses are written beside, above, or below the pictures that illustrate in great detail the various activities and occupations of the Saint. The story of his life thus can be read as in a picture book. The manuscript is regarded as an important document for the history of the Benedictine order. Because of the many pictorial details it is also of great interest for cultural history in general. The literary source for the pictorial scenes is the “Dialogi” of Gregory the Great; the related paragraphs are translated into German. The bis bini-verses are transcribed. The owner of the manuscript was the Benedictine abbey of St. Stephanus at Würzburg. Linen. €190 [3-89219-021-6]  (more info... )

[Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, A 5]
Große Burgunderchronik des Diebold Schilling von Bern.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1981-85. 25 x 39 cm, 1036, 306 pp.

The Great Burgundian Chronicle, also called the Zürcher Schilling after the city where it is kept, is the most original and comprehensive reference book on the Burgundian Wars. It was executed around 1480 in the tradition of the Bern chronicles begun by Konrad Justinger in 1420 and carried on by Bendicht Tschachtlan around 1470. In 1474 Schilling was commissioned by the Council of Bern to write a chronicle of the city, from its beginnings to contemporary times. Considering the greatness and importance of his home city, Schilling understood this task in creating a work of major significance. Between 1474 and 1483, he created a monumental work, the Official Chronicle of Bern in three volumes. The original version of the third part, our Great Burgundian Chronicle, never left Schilling's possession. It is the most comprehensive of all chronicles ever carried out by Schilling. The Great Burgundian Chronicle gives a unique witness; here we see very clearly the genuine understanding of a patriot. The official edition of the third volume was censored in several places. One of the most important features of its illustrations is the landscape in which the events take place. It hardly ever corresponds to topographic reality but is rather based on the artist's imagination. The viewer sees the depicted scenes from above, little towns, villages and castles, all carefully inserted into a lovely landscape of beautifully rolling hills. Commentary in German and French. Limited edition of 980 copies. Binding recreates original, in embossed leather, on six double ribs, & 2 clasps.  

[Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, A 120]
Tschachtlans Bilderchronik.
Luzern: Faksimile-Verlag, 1986. 21 x 30 cm, 2 vols, 1060, 477 pp.

The great tradition of Swiss illuminated chronicles begins with this work by Benedicht Tschachtlan in 1470; his pictures are an inexhaustible mine of information for cultural historians: weapons, siege, battle techniques and camplife are depicted in detail. Townscapes, castles and fortresses are all painted with vivid imagination. Limited edition of 980 copies. Bound in full leather, after the original. €4700   

INCUNABULA, PRINTS, MAPS & DOCUMENTS
Schedel, Hartmann.
Buch der Chroniken.
Leipzig: Edition Leipzig, 198?. 32 x 46 cm, 590, 50 pp.

 

Schedel, Hartmann.
Liber chronicarum de Hartmann Schedel. [Monasterio de Santa María de la Vid, Burgos].
Burgos: Siloé, Arte y Bibliofilia, 2003. 31 x 45 cm, 658 pp.

978-84-932294-2-9