Hartmann Schedel

Hartmann Schedel (February 13, 1440 – November 28, 1514), was a German physician, humanist and historian, one of the first cartographers to make use of the printing press. He was born in Nuremberg. Matheolus Perusinus served as his tutor.

Schedel is best known for his writing the text for the "Nuremberg Chronicle", known as "Schedelsche Weltchronik" (English translation: Schedel's World Chronicle'), published in 1493 in Nuremberg. This was probably a commission from Anton Koberger, as much of the point of the work was its lavish illustrations. The Chronicle is therefore an incunabulum. Many of the maps in his "Nuremberg Chronicle" illustrated cities and countries for the first time ever, because not too much was known till then. Cities were featured in the chronicle as the material was ready and Cracow, Lübeck, Nissa or Neyß are described towards the end.

The Schedel chronicle also has a section on the kingdom of Poland and its origin (on page 263 "vom koenigreich Poln und seinem ursprung"). The history starts with Boleslaw I of Poland and makes no mention of a Mieszko I.

With the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1447, it became feasible to print books and maps for a larger customer basis. Books had previously been rare and very expensive, due to them having to be handwritten.

He was also a notable collector of books, art and old master prints. An album he had bound in 1504, which once contained five engravings by Jacopo de' Barberi, provides important evidence for dating de' Barbari's work.

Gallery

Editions

* Hartmann Schedel: "Registrum huius operis libri cronicarum cu [cum] figuris et imagibus [imaginibus] ab inicio mudi [mundi] ". [Nachdruck der Ausgabe Nürnberg, Koberger, 1493] . Ostfildern: Quantum Books, [2002?] . - CCXCIX, [51] S., ISBN 3-935293-04-6
* Hartmann Schedel: "Register des Buchs der Croniken und geschichten mit figuren und pildnussen von anbeginn der welt bis auf dise unnsere Zeit". [Durch Georgium Alten ... in diss Teutsch gebracht] . Reprint [der Ausg.] Nürnberg, Koberger, 1493, 1. Wiederdruck. München: Reprint-Verlag Kölbl, 1991. - [9] , CCLXXXVI Bl., IDN: 947020551
* Hartmann Schedel: "Weltchronik. Nachdruck [der] kolorierten Gesamtausgabe von 1493". Einleitung und Kommentar von Stephan Füssel. Augsburg: Weltbild, 2004. - 680 S., ISBN 3-8289-0803-9
*Stephan Füssel (Hg.): "Schedel'sche Weltchronik". Taschen Verlag, Köln 2001. ISBN 3-8228-5725-4
*http://www.obrasraras.usp.br/ - Digitalisat der lateinischen Ausgabe (mit brasil-portugiesischer Bedien-Oberfläche)
* [http://mdz1.bib-bvb.de/~mdz/kurzauswahl.html?url=http://mdz1.bib-bvb.de/cocoon/bsbink/Exemplar_S-199,1.html Digitalisat der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek]
* Digitalisat der Beloit copy (Morse Library, Beloit College, Beloit, WI 53511, United States) - http://www.beloit.edu/%7Enurember/inside/contents/index.htm
* Holzschnitte aus einem der Exemplare der Bibliothèque nationale de France - http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b2200022x

Literature

*Elisabeth Rücker: "Hartmann Schedels Weltchronik, das größte Buchunternehmen der Dürerzeit". Verlag Prestel, München 1988. ISBN 3-7913-0876-9
*Stephan Füssel (Hrsg.): "500 Jahre Schedelsche Weltchronik". Carl, Nürnberg 1994. ISBN 3-418-00372-9
*Peter Zahn: "Hartmann Schedels Weltchronik. Bilanz der jüngeren Forschung". In: Bibliotheksforum Bayern 24 (1996), 230-248
*Christoph Reske: "Die Produktion der Schedelschen Weltchronik in Nürnberg". Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2000. ISBN 3-447-04296-6

See also

* Patriziat Nürnberg

External links

*PND|118754211
*BBKL|s/s1/schedel_h
*de-ADB|30|661|662|Hartmann Schedel|Wilhelm Wattenbach