Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Saturday, 31 January 2026

Michel Wolgemut, “Saxonia magna germanie provincial”, 1493

Michel Wolgemut (or Michael Wohlgemuth) (1434–1519)—possibly in collaboration with Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (circa 1458–1494)

“Saxonia magna germanie provincial” (title as lettered), or in translation, “Saxony, a large province of Germany”, 1493

Technical Details & Condition:

Woodcut with incunabula letterpress Latin text on laid paper, complete with margins as issued. The leaf features a large woodcut and is page 282 (numbered at upper right on the verso, “CCLXXXI” [281]) from Hartmann Schedel‘s (1440–1514) “Nuremberg Chronicle” (Liber Chronicarum), published in Nuremberg by Anton Koberger (1445–1513). The woodcut is a lifetime impression depicting a bird's-eye view of the German region of Saxony. Interestingly, the same image is used as an illustration in descriptions of other locations within the publication. Given this, the scene may lean more towards fantasy than a precise geographical depiction.

The woodcut and its accompanying letterpress text are richly inked and well-printed. There are a few small wormholes, and the sheet exhibits the expected age-toning; otherwise, it is in remarkably fine condition for its age and large size.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 44.6 x 28 cm
• Image borderline of woodcut: 23.2 x 23 cm

References:

• The British Museum offers a detailed description of the Nuremberg Chronicle (see “Curator’s comments”): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1870-1008-1938-1-136

Price & Shipping:

AU$426 (approximately US$298.38 / €250.94/ £217.48), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in acquiring this exceptionally rare and large woodcut—a lifetime impression from 1493, and a true masterpiece of the incunabula period that was printed at the very time Leonardo da Vinci was painting his famous “The Last Supper”—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I will be happy to send a PayPal invoice for a smooth and secure purchase.

This print has been sold