Theuerdank

In-folio de 290 ff., 24 lignes par page, gothique, titre xylographié, 118 bois par Jost de Negker et Heinrich Kupferworm d’après Leonhard Beck, Hans Burgkmair, Hans Schäufelein…
Printed correction slip on A6r. with the blank P5.
Panels of contemporary German tooled calf laid down onto calf over (original ?) wooden boards, two clasps, some worming in last few quires. Reliure anciennement restaurée.

379 x 270 mm.

Pfintzing, Melchior. Theuerdank. Die geuerlicheiten und einsteils der Geschichten des loblichen streytparen und hochberümbten helds und Ritters Herr Tewrdannckhs. At end (A8vo.) : Gedruckt in der Kayserlichen Stat Nürnberg durch den Eltern Hannsen Schönsperger Burger zü Augspurg.
Nuremberg : Johann Schönsperger, [1 Mar.1517].

First edition of one of the finest illustrated books of the German Renaissance.

This allegorical poem celebrates the exploits and heroic deeds of Emperor Maximilian represented as Theuerdank, as he overcomes the difficulties on his journey to win his bride Mary of Burgundy, Konigin Ernreich in the poem. It forms part of a trilogy, along with Weisskunig and Fredsal, elaborating Maximilian’s life, but Theuerdank was the only one to be published during the emperor’s lifetime.

Brunet, V, 767 ; Suppt., II, 753 ; Dogson ; Passavant, III, p. 231 ; Muther, 845 ; Proctor, 11180 ; Panzer, D. Ann, 885 ; Van Praet, Bibl. du Roi, IV, 233-6 ; Dibdin, Decam., I, 200-3.

The only book printed by Schönsperger at Nürnberg.
Charles V is described at foot of page as king of Spain, archduke of Austria and duke of Burgundy.
There is no date in the colophon but it is found in both addresses to Charles V as above.

This edition is to be considered as a privately printed book, not intended for sale.
It seems that no copies passed out of the possession of Maximilian until some time after his death, for the whole stock of copies lay in six chests at Augsbourg until March 1526, when the Archduke Ferdinand decided to distribute, through Marx Treitzsauerwein, the contents of five of the chests to different Germain subjects as memorials of the late Emperor. The other chestful the archduke kept for himself. Maximilian died 12 Jan. 1519 and Schönsperger in the same year, soon after the publication of the third edition.
The printer is supposed to have been brought to Nürnberg from Augsburg for the purpose of printing the work, as it is the only one of his with the name of the latter town in the colophon. The type, which has extraordinary added flourishes, appears to have been specially made for this book. It is said that the patterns for the type were written by Vincenz Röckner, the emperor’s « court-secretary ».

On the recto of last leaf is an omission in line 13 which has been supplied by the original printer on a slip of paper and pasted in the blank space at end of line. The omitted words are : « die dem gemeld gleich beschehen sein » Another in-stance is in line 5 from foot of A6 vo. (Table) : « auch auf dem land. »
The paper from sig. p onwards appears to have been specially made, for the watermark is a large double eagle with arms of Austria and Burgundy. Before sig. p the watermark is a kind of anchor within a circle.
Each of the 118 remarkable woodcuts has a number in type below, and measures about 160 x 140, this edition perhaps containing the finest impressions. The same blocks were used in the subsequent editions, Augsburg, Frankfurt, Ulm (last, Ulm 1693), and were probably afterwards dispersed.
The artists are given below in the order of importance as regards the number of cuts they have done for this book.

Leonhard Beck (died 1542), 77 cuts ; Hans Leonhard Schäufelein (c. 1480-1539 or 40), 20 cuts ; Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531), 13 cuts ; Erhard Schön (fl 1515-50), 3 cuts ; Wolfgang Traut (fl. 1514-20), 2 cuts ; The Master N. H. (fl. 1516-26), 1 cut ; Hans Weiditz (fl. 1518-36), N°25 (not 23) : doubtful ; Jörg Breu I. (c. 1480-1537), N°31. (Dodgson II, p. 109).

This first edition was issued in probably 300 paper copies and around 40 copies on vellum for distribution by the Emperor, and not all of these contained the clavis or key to the illustrations (quire [2]A8, present in this copy).

« Une grande partie des exemplaires qui nous sont parvenus se trouvent mal conservés, ou bien il y manque les huit derniers feuillets » (Brunet).

Ce bibliographe cite les plus beaux exemplaires parus sur le marché au XIXe siècle : Ex. Camus de Lemarc, hauteur 349 mm ; A. F. Didot, hauteur 373 mm, le plus grand cité et décrit « de la plus grande beauté ». L’exemplaire personnel de M. Brunet fut vendu au prix ahurissant de 6 600 F OR, un livre de bibliophilie se négociant alors à compter de 6 F OR.