1496 Nuremberg Chronicle Leaf — Popes & Clergy Woodcuts — Original 15th Century Incunable Page

📜 Details

Date: 1496

Printer: Johann Schönsperger, Augsburg, Germany

Work: Liber Chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle)

Language: Early German, Gothic (Schwabacher) blackletter type

Material: Handmade rag paper with woodcut illustrations

Size: Approx. 27 × 18.5 cm (10.6 × 7.3 in)



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🖋️ Description

Side A: Five detailed woodcut portraits of popes and bishops — including Popes Simplicius, Felix III, Gelasius I, and Anastasius II — accompanied by biographical text in two neat columns of blackletter type.
Side B: Additional portraits of clerics and saints, with narrative text describing early Church history and papal succession.

The page remains crisp and well-inked, with richly impressed type and striking medieval portraiture.


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🧾 Condition

Gently aged with light toning and mild edge wear.
Lower margin shows an old water stain and a minor repair, professionally done and stable.
Paper retains full strength, with bold, clean printing throughout.
(Please inspect photos closely; sold as is.)


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🖼️ Framing Option

This leaf may be professionally framed in a matte black metal frame with acid-free matting and UV-resistant acrylic for museum-quality preservation and display.
👉 Simply purchase the separate framing listing in this shop to add custom framing to your order.


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✨ Why Collect This Leaf

Genuine incunable (printed before 1501)

From the rare Augsburg 1496 “pirated” edition — scarcer on the market than the 1493 Nuremberg printing

Beautiful early portraits of Church leaders and saints

Perfect for lovers of medieval art, history, theology, and early printing

A timeless conversation piece — over 525 years old