Description
This hand-colored leaf is from the blockbook Biblia Pauperum (Bible of the Poor), which served as an educational handbook for laymen and clerics. Blockbooks, in which images and text were carved in relief from a single block of wood, are the earliest form of printed text in Europe. On each page, two Old Testament episodes flank a New Testament scene, implying a connection between the stories. At left is Christ’s baptism between the Pharaoh’s drowned army and spies returning from Canaan. To the right is Christ’s temptation bordered by Esau selling his birthright to Jacob and the temptation of Adam and Eve.
Provenance
Cloister Wiblingen, Ulm, Germany; (Karl & Faber, Munich, Germany) (May 7, 1935); Martin Aufhäuser, Munich, Germany & Los Angeles, CA; (Galerie Kornfeld Auktionen, Bern, Switzerland) (June 21, 1985); (R.M. Light & Co., Inc., Santa Barbara, CA) (1985-86); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 15, 1986)
The Bible of the Poor (Biblia Pauperum), Pharaoh's Army Drowned in the Red Sea; Baptism of Christ; and Moses' Spies Returning with Grapes from Canaan Esau Selling Jacob his Birthright; Temptation of Christ; and Temptation of Adam and Eve
c. 1465
Accession Number
1986.91
Medium
woodcut, hand colored with watercolor
Dimensions
Sheet: 26.9 x 38.8 cm (10 9/16 x 15 1/4 in.)
Classification
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund