Books

12" x 17" [30cm x 43cm] incunabulum folio leaf, museum framed. Highly desirable leaf from the 1493 Latin 'Liber Chronicarum', featuring a half-page woodcut of Paris [Parisium], in Near Fine condition. Deaccessioned from the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art, Cornell University. In a handsome ruby red and gilt wood frame [13.25" x 18"] with museum notes taped to the back. Leaf appears to be laid on, unmounted (frame is sealed at back). Wonderfully preserved with just a bit of age-toning to the extreme edges and minor waviness to the surface (unmounted). Woodcut by Pleydenwurff and Wohlgemut, Latin text by Hartmann Schedel. Recto is half-page woodcut of Mainz [Megundio] with Latin text above. The Liber Chronicarum, bound, fetches $150,000 or more at auction; the Paris leaf, with its stylized view of the city, the Seine, and a 1400s caravel ship in the foreground, is a particularly sought-after leaf. Note: There are artists specializing in applying period-style watercolor to such woodcuts, greatly enhancing their visual appeal. I have included a sample of a colored version for reference. *Photos may show distortions (lens curvature, angled view, reflections, etc.) as the item is under glass.

The Liber Chronicarum, also known as the Nuremberg Chronicle, is a historical book written by Hartmann Schedel and published in 1493, detailing world history.