Work of the Fifth Day, Creation of the Fish and Birds

Reference: S11294
Author Bottega di Michael WOLGEMUT
Year: 1493
Measures: 295 x 465 mm
€300.00

Reference: S11294
Author Bottega di Michael WOLGEMUT
Year: 1493
Measures: 295 x 465 mm
€300.00

Description


Woodcut, 1493.

Showing the work of the Fifth Day, Creation of the Fish and Birds.

Taken from the monumental work of Hartmann Schedel, Liber Cronicarum (Latin edition), which represents one of the "most extraordinary works ever made" from publishing the fifteenth century.

The engravers were Michael Wolgemuth, and his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurff. Wolgemuth was also the tutor of Albrecht Dürer between 1486 and 1490.

Recent studies have shown that Dürer himself has contributed to the realization of this work; some works are in fact attributed to the master of Nuremberg. The printing was supervised by the big printer Anton Koberger, whose works were famous throughout Europe.

Literature

Dodgson, Campbell, Catalogue of Early German and Flemish Woodcuts in the BM, 1903, 1911 D.28(28).

Bottega di Michael WOLGEMUT (Norimberga 1434 - 1519)

Wolgemut also spelled Wohlgemut, or Wohlgemuth, leading late Gothic painter of Nürnberg in the late 15th century. Painter, designer of woodcuts. Trained with his father, Valentin Wolgemut (d. 1469 or 1470). To judge from the Netherlandish influence in his work, he may have travelled as a journeyman to the Low Countries. At an early stage of his career he is thought to have assisted Hans Pleydenwurff (c. 1420-72) in Nuremberg, since parts of the latter's 'Hofer Altarpiece', dated 1465 (Munich, Alte Pinakothek) have been attributed to him. He worked in Munich with the painter Gabriel Mälesskircher (c. 1410/15-95) during the early part of 1471; later that year he was active in Nuremberg in his father's workshop which had been maintained by his mother since the death of her husband. In 1473 he married Hans Pleydenwurff's widow, thereby inheriting this artist's workshop. Wolgemut taught Albrecht Dürer (q.v.) from 1486 to 1489. That Dürer held his master in high esteem is implied in a letter he wrote in 1506 from Venice to his friend Willibald Pirckheimer in Nuremberg, in which he recommends Wolgemut as a teacher for his younger brother Hans Dürer (q.v.). Dürer also painted a portrait of Wolgemut in 1519 (Nuremberg, Gemanisches Nationalmuseum). Wolgemut's stepson, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (c. 1458-94), worked with him and by 1491 had become his partner. The Wolgemut workshop was the most active in Nuremberg during this period. Documented altarpieces among the several produced are: the 'Life of the Virgin' for the Marienkirche, Zwickau, completed in 1479; the 'Altarpiece of the Virgin' for the Stiftskirche, Feuchtwangen, 1484; the 'Peringsdörfer Altarpiece', c. 1486 (Nuremberg, according to Neudörfer originally in the Augustinerkirche, from 1564 in the Heilig-kreuzkirche); and the high altarpiece of the parish church of St John, Schwabach, executed from 1506 to 1508. In large commissions such as these, it seems clear that Wolgemut often worked in close collaboration with independent painters and sculptors as well as with his own assistants, and so it has proved difficult to establish precisely what part the master himself played in their execution. A number of portraits are attributed to Wolgemut, such as those of 'Hans Tucher', dated 1481 (Nuremberg, Germanisches National-museum) and 'Ursula Tucher' (Kassel, Gemäldegalerie). Together with Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, Wolgemut was responsible for the production of 645 woodblocks, from which about 1800 illustrations were made, for Hartmann Schedel's 'Weltchronik', the well known bestseller published in 1493 by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg (see 1885,0509.43). Other woodcuts convincingly attributed to Wolgemut and Pleydenwurff on the basis of the 'Weltchronik' are those for 'Der Schrein oder Schatzbehalter der wahren Reichtümer des Heils u. der ewigen Seligkeit' published by Koberger in 1491.

Literature

Dodgson, Campbell, Catalogue of Early German and Flemish Woodcuts in the BM, 1903, 1911 D.28(28).

Bottega di Michael WOLGEMUT (Norimberga 1434 - 1519)

Wolgemut also spelled Wohlgemut, or Wohlgemuth, leading late Gothic painter of Nürnberg in the late 15th century. Painter, designer of woodcuts. Trained with his father, Valentin Wolgemut (d. 1469 or 1470). To judge from the Netherlandish influence in his work, he may have travelled as a journeyman to the Low Countries. At an early stage of his career he is thought to have assisted Hans Pleydenwurff (c. 1420-72) in Nuremberg, since parts of the latter's 'Hofer Altarpiece', dated 1465 (Munich, Alte Pinakothek) have been attributed to him. He worked in Munich with the painter Gabriel Mälesskircher (c. 1410/15-95) during the early part of 1471; later that year he was active in Nuremberg in his father's workshop which had been maintained by his mother since the death of her husband. In 1473 he married Hans Pleydenwurff's widow, thereby inheriting this artist's workshop. Wolgemut taught Albrecht Dürer (q.v.) from 1486 to 1489. That Dürer held his master in high esteem is implied in a letter he wrote in 1506 from Venice to his friend Willibald Pirckheimer in Nuremberg, in which he recommends Wolgemut as a teacher for his younger brother Hans Dürer (q.v.). Dürer also painted a portrait of Wolgemut in 1519 (Nuremberg, Gemanisches Nationalmuseum). Wolgemut's stepson, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (c. 1458-94), worked with him and by 1491 had become his partner. The Wolgemut workshop was the most active in Nuremberg during this period. Documented altarpieces among the several produced are: the 'Life of the Virgin' for the Marienkirche, Zwickau, completed in 1479; the 'Altarpiece of the Virgin' for the Stiftskirche, Feuchtwangen, 1484; the 'Peringsdörfer Altarpiece', c. 1486 (Nuremberg, according to Neudörfer originally in the Augustinerkirche, from 1564 in the Heilig-kreuzkirche); and the high altarpiece of the parish church of St John, Schwabach, executed from 1506 to 1508. In large commissions such as these, it seems clear that Wolgemut often worked in close collaboration with independent painters and sculptors as well as with his own assistants, and so it has proved difficult to establish precisely what part the master himself played in their execution. A number of portraits are attributed to Wolgemut, such as those of 'Hans Tucher', dated 1481 (Nuremberg, Germanisches National-museum) and 'Ursula Tucher' (Kassel, Gemäldegalerie). Together with Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, Wolgemut was responsible for the production of 645 woodblocks, from which about 1800 illustrations were made, for Hartmann Schedel's 'Weltchronik', the well known bestseller published in 1493 by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg (see 1885,0509.43). Other woodcuts convincingly attributed to Wolgemut and Pleydenwurff on the basis of the 'Weltchronik' are those for 'Der Schrein oder Schatzbehalter der wahren Reichtümer des Heils u. der ewigen Seligkeit' published by Koberger in 1491.