The Book of Wonders
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, n.d. Hardcover. Pat Sweet writes: "The Augsburger Wunderzeichenbuch (“The Book of Wonders”) is one of the most spectacular discoveries in the field of Renaissance art in northern Europe. The manuscript was produced in the Swabian Imperial Free City of Augsburg sometime between 1545 and 1552. We do not know who commissioned the book, or who supplied the artwork. The book contains miracles: wondrous and mysterious singularities of nature, monstrous births, battles in heaven, rains of blood and meat, acts of God, double and triple suns and moons, and lots and lots of comets. At this time the sacred and the scientific were just beginning to move apart, and this is one of the beginnings of that massive shift. The beautiful, strange, and enigmatic illustrations are in supersaturated gouache and watercolor. Each illumination is captioned in a panel of German Gothic script. The manuscript dropped out of sight sometime in the 17th century and was only recently re-discovered in 2007. A fine modern edition is published by Taschen. I’ve tried to counter the small size of the prints by enlarging a wonderful detail of each picture on the verso. The book is bound in green and brown marbled paper and has two bands of antique bronze chain passing over the front and back of the binding. The title is on a raised rectangle in the front." Measures 2.25 x 3 inches. In fine condition. 145 pages. ARTB/032023. Fine. More