This large-format Bible, glossed with the margin notes of Niccolò da Lira, was printed in 1478-1479 in Cologne by Heinrich Quentell and Bartholomaeus of Unkel on behalf of Johann Helmann and Arnold Salmonster in Cologne and Anton Koberger in Nuremberg. Known as the ‘Cologne Bible,’ it was printed in two varieties of German: Low Saxon (niedersächsisch) and Low Rhenish (niederrheinische). As in all pre-Lutheran German Bibles, the translation was made from the Latin Vulgate. The two volumes are richly illustrated with 113 and 123 woodcuts respectively, made by the so-called ‘Master of Cologne.’ The woodcuts, illustrating the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation, introduce key figures such as King David and the Evangelists, but most notable is the illustration of the Creation scene. The decoration in both volumes was hand-colored in a style that influenced all subsequent production, not only in Germany but across Europe.
This is the first volume of the Bible. Please also see volume 2.
