Parens - Von der statt Parentz und andere anstossende stett.

Bernhard von Breydenbach (*1440 - 1497)
Old coloured woodcut town view of Croatia, Istria, Parenzo, Porec. Printed in Speyer by Peter Drach in 1505.

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Reference 12464

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Description

Very early old coloured woodcut view of Porec (Parenzo) on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. From the earliest printed travel guide Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam by Bernhard von Breydenbach, first printed in Mainz on 14 February 1486 after travel sketches by the painter Erhard Reuwich of Utrecht. This woodcut comes from the German edition, printed by Peter Drach in Speyer around 1505. The woodcut views of the editions produced in Speyer were printed from the original wood blocks, which had been in the possession of Peter Drach since 1490. Very rare to find in this beautiful old colouring.

Reimar Walter Fuchs about this book in his dissertation Die Mainzer Frühdrucke mit Buchholzschnitten 1480-1500:

The artistically most important work among the illustrated Mainz incunable and one of the most famous books that have appeared since the invention of Gutenberg in Mainz. Bernard of Breydenbach who died in 1497 in Mainz, dean of the cathedral, describes his three quarterly pilgrimage to the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem and the tomb of St. Catherine of Alexandria on Mount Sinai, which he made 1483/1484 together with Earl John of Solms, the knight Philip of Bicken and the painter Erhard Reuwich of Utrecht. The unique illustration of their time that have been created out of Reuwich's travel sketches, made the work to a celebrated book. Primarily well known are the large-sized, in part, by several wooden blocks printed and folding plates composite views of Venice, Porec, Corfu, Modon, Candia and Rhodes and the map of Palestine with the city of Jerusalem. The high artistic quality and technically perfect production of the graphic work has often been honoured, because of the art historical as well as of the historical significance of the views, the first realistic printed topographic city views.

German text on verso with some old marginalia. This woodcut also served as a template for the city view of Parens in Civitates Orbis Terrarum by Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg printed in 1575.

Details

CartographerBernhard von Breydenbach
TitleParens - Von der statt Parentz und andere anstossende stett.
Publisher, YearPeter Drach, Speyer, 1486 [1505]
Plate Size25.5 x 39.5 cm (10.0 x 15.6 inches)
Sheet Size31.0 x 42.0 cm (12.2 x 16.5 inches)

Condition

Excellent condition with beautiful contemporary colouring.

Cartographer

Bernhard von Breidenbach (Breidenbach), 1456 enrolment in Erfurt as Dr. jur., canon in Mainz, 1477-91 treasurer of the secular city court, 1483-84 pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to Sinai, the description, with beautiful woodcuts provided by Erhard Reuwich, published 1486 in a German and Latin print and widely distributed. (Deutsches Literatur-Lexikon: Francke, Saur 1968)

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Bernhard von Breydenbach: Parens - Von der statt Parentz und andere anstossende stett..
Old coloured woodcut town view of Croatia, Istria, Parenzo, Porec. Printed in Speyer by Peter Drach in 1505.

Balkan - Breydenbach, Bernhard von - Parens - Von der statt Parentz und andere...

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