1496 Nuremberg Chronicle Leaf – Rare Pirated Edition – Early Medieval Kings & Popes Woodcuts

1496 Nuremberg Chronicle Leaf – Rare Pirated Edition – Early Medieval Kings & Popes Woodcuts


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Description

📜 Original 1496 leaf from the famed Nuremberg Chronicle — one of the most important illustrated books of the 15th century, and from the rare pirated edition printed just three years after the first appearance of the Chronicle.

This authentic incunable leaf features striking 15th-century woodcuts depicting the collapse of Roman authority and the rise of early medieval kingship and Church power in Europe.


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🖋️ What This Leaf Depicts

This leaf comes from the Chronicle’s narrative of Late Antiquity / the Early Middle Ages (5th–6th centuries) and includes multiple original woodcut illustrations:

👑 Early Medieval Kings & Rulers
Symbolic portraits representing rulers such as:

Odoacer, who deposed the last Western Roman emperor

Theodoric the Great, Ostrogothic king of Italy

Clovis I, first Christian king of the Franks


These are period-style representations, carved in the 1490s to convey royal authority rather than true likeness.

✝️ Popes & Church Leaders
Woodcuts depicting early popes and bishops, illustrating the growing dominance of the Christian Church after the fall of Rome, including figures discussed in the surrounding text such as Pope Gelasius I and Pope Anastasius II.

👥 Council / Power-Transition Scene
A group woodcut symbolizing:

Political councils

Dynastic succession

The merging of secular and ecclesiastical power


Together, the images visually narrate the formation of medieval Europe.


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📚 About the Edition

🖨️ 1496 Pirated Nuremberg Chronicle Edition

Printed without authorization shortly after the 1493 first edition

Produced using copied woodblocks derived from the original workshop of Michael Wolgemut

Historically significant as one of the earliest large-scale examples of print piracy


Many collectors consider these pirated editions especially desirable due to their rarity and early place in printing history.


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🧾 Condition

📌 Please review photos carefully
I photograph every page in full so buyers can evaluate condition accurately.

Age-appropriate toning and wear

Light edge wear and minor spotting consistent with 15th-century paper

Strong, legible text and crisp woodcut impressions


🧐 Please feel free to ask questions or request additional photos before purchase.


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🖼️ Framing Options Available

🖼️ Optional archival framing available:

Acid-free matting

UV-protective acrylic (not glass)

Clean, museum-style presentation


Ideal for:

Libraries

Offices

Study walls

Medieval, Renaissance, or rare book collections



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🎁 Why Collect This Leaf

✨ Genuine 15th-century incunable
✨ Original woodcuts — not facsimiles
✨ Early medieval kings, popes, and councils
✨ Rare pirated Nuremberg Chronicle edition
✨ Excellent display piece, framed or unframed


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📦 Shipping

Ships flat (never rolled)

Carefully protected for transit

Tracking included



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