Fogg Museum Gets Rare Fifteenth Century Picture Book From Germany--Example of Early Popularity of Printing

A remarkably fine example of the early illustrated book, a copy of "The Book of Troy" by Guido delle Colonne, printed at Augsburg with the type of Gunther Zainer, about 1478, has just been acquired by Harvard University. The only other recorded copy of the book is in the Dresden State Library.

The Harvard copy is in fine condition, complete and excellently preserved. This is unusual because the book is known to have been very popular. In fact, the extreme rarity of the Volksbucher, of which this romance is an example, is due to their great popularity. The Fall of Troy was a favorite subject, and the Harvard copy is of the third version known to have been printed. Only two complete copies of the first version are known, two perfect copies of the second, and one imperfect copy of the fourth, etc.

This newly acquired picture book is a very instructive example of the close relationship that existed between the printers of the fifteenth century. They were bound by no copyright, and used not only one another's woodblocks to illustrate their books, but also the type with which the books were printed.

The book now in the Fogg Museum at Harvard is a folio of one hundred and fifty-seven leaves. It contains twelve ornamental initials and one hundred and one woodcut illustrations. The book is rubricated in red and blue, and initials and illustrations are colored by hand, according to the custom of the time in Germany.

The colors used are characteristic of the Augsburg work of the period, and are applied with much more care and skill than usual. The colors are laid in flat washes on some figures; on others there is an attempt to represent light and shade. Maidens and warriors alike have delicate pink complexions.