description Nuremberg Chronicle (Schedelsche Weltchronik) Overview
The Nuremberg Chronicle is an illustrated world history compiled by the physician and humanist Hartmann Schedel and printed in Nuremberg in 1493. Also known in German as the Schedelsche Weltchronik, it organizes biblical, classical, and medieval history into a chronological account accompanied by more than 1,800 woodcut impressions, many made from reused blocks. It is an incunabulum distinguished by the unusually extensive integration of printed text, genealogical diagrams, city views, and narrative images.
help Nuremberg Chronicle (Schedelsche Weltchronik) FAQ
Who printed the Nuremberg Chronicle, and when was it published?
Anton Koberger printed the chronicle in Nuremberg in 1493, using Hartmann Schedel's compiled text. Separate Latin and German editions appeared in the same year, with the German translation associated with Georg Alt.
Were the city views in the Nuremberg Chronicle drawn from real places?
Some views, including the large image of Nuremberg, contain recognizable local features, but many generic woodblocks were reused for several different cities. The book therefore mixes observation with symbolic medieval conventions rather than functioning as a modern atlas.
What did Michael Wolgemut's workshop contribute to the Nuremberg Chronicle?
Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff's workshop designed the extensive woodcut program used throughout the book. The young Albrecht Dürer had trained in Wolgemut's workshop, although assigning individual Chronicle images to Dürer is not secure.
Why is the Nuremberg Chronicle called an incunabulum?
An incunabulum is a European book printed with movable type before 1501. Because the Chronicle was printed in 1493, it belongs to this earliest period of European printing rather than being a handwritten manuscript.
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