Nuremberg Chronicle (Inc.0.A.7.2[888]) Nuremberg Chronicle (Inc.0.A.7.2[888])

The text is a universal history of the Christian world from the beginning of times to the early 1490s, written in Latin by the Nuremberg physician and humanist Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514). Drawing on multiple medieval and Renaissance sources, the Chronicle also incorporates geographical and historical information on European countries and towns. The narrative is divided into parts, the so-called world ages, and is profusely illustrated by images of biblical and historical events, and topographical views of towns and countries in Europe and the Middle East, including Jerusalem (and its destruction) and Byzantium. The Chronicle was a bestseller and hundreds of copies still survive. This hand-coloured example was donated to the University of Cambridge in 1574 by Matthew Parker (1504-1575), archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Elizabeth I, patron of scholarship and bibliophile.

The text is a universal history of the Christian world from the beginning of times to the early 1490s, written in Latin by the Nuremberg physician and humanist Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514). Drawing on multiple medieval and Renaissance sources, the Chronicle also incorporates geographical and historical information on European countries and towns. The narrative is divided into parts, the so-called world ages, and is profusely illustrated by images of biblical and historical events, and topographical views of towns and countries in Europe and the Middle East, including Jerusalem (and its destruction) and Byzantium. The Chronicle was a bestseller and hundreds of copies still survive. This hand-coloured example was donated to the University of Cambridge in 1574 by Matthew Parker (1504-1575), archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Elizabeth I, patron of scholarship and bibliophile. This illustration shows the universe with the earth at the centre and the signs of the zodiac in the firmament, all presided over by God.