Description

Description: We offer a woodcut book illustration by the German artist Hans Weiditz the Younger. The illustration is 4" x 6 1/8" printed on hand made laid paper that is 10 5/8" x 6 7/8" with text on recto and verso. Likely from a 16th century German translation of Petrarch’s prose treatise on fortune, or Glucksbuch . Several editions were published from the 1530’s to the later half of the century, with alternate titles. In this cynical image a scholar/king hastily reads a large tome in a burning library, whilst his pageboy swats hopelessly at the flames. Item #PR00095.

Condition: There is a pea-sized area of paper loss near the bottom left corner of the illustration not affecting the image and two small areas of thinning paper in the image on the left side. These have been repaired with archival mending tape. Otherwise a fine impression with full margins in very good condition.