1493 Hartmann Schedel Nuremberga Woodblock Print
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GUEST:
Today I brought in a woodblock print of the city of Nuremberg, and I believe it comes from a book from 1493. I inherited it from my parents, and I know that they purchased the print in Germany when they lived there, uh, around 1969.
APPRAISER:
Yes, in fact, it is an original woodblock print, and it is 529 years old, which is incredible that it's survived today. This is a bird's-eye view of the city of Nuremberg that was printed in 1493, and it's by Hartmann Schedel, and he put together the "Nuremberg Chronicle." It was issued in 1493. It was a compendium. It was a religious book, but there was also a historical aspect to it, which was unusual for the time. Anything that, of this size and quality was incredibly hard to make. And it would have been hundreds of artisans working together to produce something so beautiful. What I look for when I see something like this is, I look for the quality of the line. And that's the first thing I noticed when you brought it in, the beautiful, sharp woodblock print. The other thing that I look for is the coloring. I was surprised to see it, 'cause not all of the "Nuremberg Chronicles" were colored.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Many were printed in black and white. But with yours, the coloring is very special. It's original color, and it's gouache and watercolor applied by hand after the woodblock print was made. Schedel employed famous artists to make the woodblocks, and, such as, um, Albrecht Dürer. I'm sure you've heard of him.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And he, so, so there's a wonderful animated quality to the city plans. It's one of the few city plans that takes up the full page. Many of the other plans are embedded into the text.
GUEST:
What's really interesting about the picture to me is that there are a few things that still exist here. Of course, the wall is still present in Nuremberg. A lot of the buildings in the center city are still there. But the castle stands out. One, because when I was in college, I actually stayed there in a hostel. And the church spires, because those are still there, as well, as far as I know.
APPRAISER:
And you've kept it in really good condition, uh, and it has not faded at all. The center join shows us that it's original. Do you know how much your parents paid for it?
GUEST:
Several hundred dollars. Uh, nothing... Great. Nothing crazy.
APPRAISER:
Nothing against Nuremberg, but it's not one of the trendier cities that's asked for, but because it's the city, uh, that the book was made in, because it's the double-size folio and a full sheet, I would put a retail value on it of about $2,000.
GUEST:
Wonderful, that's great.
APPRAISER:
Thank you for bringing it in, I love it.
GUEST:
It's wonderful to look at every day.
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