Introduction:

Printed illustrations in medieval books are almost all woodcuts. This technique involved cutting out a design from a block of wood that would stand out in relief and could be inked and printed at the same time as the type. 
Some books of the 15th century were completely cut from wood, both the text and the illustration. These are known as block books, and were printing experiments taking place at the same time as the development of printing from moveable type.

The woodcuts in the Cronecken der Sassen follow the pattern of many early illustrated books in that they are treated as symbolic or representative, and can reappear throughout the book. This battle scene occurs 19 times and some of the “portraits” are repeated even more often. Woodcuts were also used for the bold calligraphic initials.

This history of Saxony in Germany was printed by Peter Schöffer in Mainz, the city where Johann Gutenberg invented printing with moveable type. Schöffer was the son-in-law and business partner of Johann Fust who was Gutenberg’s financial backer.

Konrad Bote. Cronecken der Sassen (The chronicles of Saxony). Mainz: P. Schöffer, 1492.

The Ars Moriendi is a devotional book about the art of dying, with a dialogue between angels and devils taking place on labels from their mouths, much like speech bubbles in modern comics. The text would all have been cut from wood in mirror image.

Ars moriendi (The art of dying). Leipzig: Conrad Kachelofen, c1495.

Some of the earliest woodcuts in printed books came from the German cities of Augsburg, Ulm and Nuremberg. These were simple woodcuts in outline, and were cut by guild members used to making cuts for textiles and playing cards. Many early woodcuts are handcoloured (often quite crudely) like the ones in this book, but it is not known when the colour was added.

In the 19th century William Morris praised this book as one of the most beautiful examples of the early illustrated book. He was particularly impressed at the way the woodcuts are aligned with the text.
The woodcut of the damned in hell is one of over 170 illustrations in this popular medieval selection of biblical stories.

Speculum humanae salvationis (The mirror of human salvation). Augsburg: Günther Zainer, 1473.

The printer Johann Grüninger produced a number of books illustrated with woodcuts. These are considerably more delicate in their design than the early woodcuts. He was one of the first printers to use parallel lines for shading.
Terence was a favourite Latin author in the medieval period.

Terence. Comœdiae (Comedies). Strasburg: Johann Grüninger, 1499.

Sebastian Brant’s most famous original work was Das Narrenschiff, translated as The ship of fools in English.
This was a satirical poem on the follies and vices of medieval society, and was immensely popular. Some of its popularity has been attributed to its illustrations, supposedly the first deliberately comic illustrations in printed books.

The English version of 1509 was printed by Richard Pynson in both roman (for the Latin) and gothic (for the English) typefaces. The woodcuts were re-cut from those used in the original 1494 edition, some of which have been attributed to the young Albrecht Dürer. The woodcut shows fools on the wheel of fortune depicting “the ende of worldly honour and power and of folys that trust therin.”

Sebastian Brant. The ship of fools. London: Richard Pynson, 1509.

Another of Grüninger’s illustrated editions of the classics is generally considered to be his masterpiece. This is his Virgil of 1502, edited by the humanist scholar Sebastian Brant. The illustrations closely follow the narrative of the text. The beginning of Book IV of the Georgics, Virgil’s poem about rural life, shows contented farmers looking after beehives.

Virgil. Opera (Works). Strasburg: Johann Grüninger, 1502.

The most famous name in 15th century woodcuts is that of the German artist Albrecht Dürer. His woodcuts for the Revelations of Saint Birgitta are often composite prints, made up of several blocks. Here Saint Birgitta is interceding for the damned. Birgitta, or Bridget, was a Swedish mystic.

Saint Birgitta. Revelationes (Revelations). 
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1500.

The most famous name in 15th century woodcuts is that of the German artist Albrecht Dürer. His woodcuts for the Revelations of Saint Birgitta are often composite prints, made up of several blocks. Here Saint Birgitta is interceding for the damned. Birgitta, or Bridget, was a Swedish mystic.

Saint Birgitta. Revelationes (Revelations). 
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1500.