1517 Folio Gruninger woodcut leaf from Virgil’s Georgics, husbandry, farming

Woodcut folio from Opera Vergiliana docte et familiariter exposita (Aeneis Vergiliana cum... commentariis). (Lyon: Jacques Sacon for Cyriacus Hochperg, 20 August and 2 December 1517).

29.8 x 19.7 cm

Jodocus Badius Ascensius’s commentary of Virgil’s Aeneid into German (Strasbourg: Johann Grüninger 1517) was accompanied by a startling set of woodcuts from the com- plete edition of Virgil’s works edited by Sebastian Brant of 1502. Research has demonstrated that Brant was involved in the production of the woodcuts as a “concepteur”: the extremely detailed interpretation of the text by means of images implies a thorough knowledge of Virgil’s text, while the resulting visual narrative, in addition to the textual understanding supplied by the Latin writing, creates a striking and absorbing display.

Bibliographic References: Brunet V, 1282; Baudrier XII, 344; Brun 322; Mambelli 136; Mortimer, Italian Books II, 537; Renouard, Badius Ascensius III, 370; not in Murray, Rothschild.

Later hand colour.