One of four copies printed on parchment of the monumental Luther Bible 1561, a Gift of Elector August of Saxony in the original bindings: the only copy to appear in the market in 450 years
Biblia germanica. Biblia, Das ist: Die gantze heilige Schrifft: Deudsch. Doct. Mart. Luth. 2 vols. Wittenberg, Hans Lufft, (1558-)1561 (in the colophon: 1560). 6 pages, 344 folios, and 382 folios (= 726 leaves). Printed on vellum. The first volume with an additional dedication leaf on vellum. Volume I with full-page woodcut frame by Lucas Cranach the Younger on the title (295 x 205 mm) and full-page creation woodcut by Hans Brosamer, dated 1550 (225 x 148 mm), Volume II with woodcut frame with coats of arms (200 x 145 mm), all in all with a total of 170 woodcuts by Georg Lemberger (115 x 135 mm) and Hans Brosamer (105 x 145 mm) as well as numerous historiated and floral decorated initials. - Large folio (c. 381 x ca. 250 mm). Original Elector's bindings (ca. 415 x 290 mm) made by Brosius Faust, with his monogram, dated 1564, blind-tooled pigskin over oak boards, openwork center and corner brass mounts (with eagle motifs) on a blue parchment background; gauffered gilt edges.
A monument of history and a bibliophile gem
If ever a book can represent its time in the most dignified way, it is this impressive edition on the finest parchment of a monumental two-volume Luther Bible of astonishing beauty and rarity from the hands of the Elector of Saxony (1526-1586). The Augsburg peace of 1555 and the spirit of the confessional age, as expressed in the most important Protestant territory of the German Empire, are brought together and expressed here in a unique way. The signs of the religious, political and mentality-historical upheavals of the time are united with a splendor that seems to have been made for eternity – and indeed the two volumes have come down to us almost impeccably.
Hans Lufft in Wittenberg was Luther's most important printer and remained faithful to his work even after Luther’s death. He attempted to increase the impact and popularity of the Luther Bible through an abundant number of pictures, which he commissioned from renowned artists. The full-page title woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Younger first appeared in Lufft's 1541 Bible printing.
The text contains a total of 170 woodcuts; most of them are by Georg Lemberger; Hans Brosamer produced the full-page creation illustration at the beginning, the 20 illustrations on the prophets, and 37 to the Apocalypse. The present edition, printed in Gothic types in seven sizes, was undertaken by Lufft already in 1558, because most of the copies bear this date on the title, our variant with the year 1561, on the other hand, is very rare; the colophon in each case has the year 1560. Thus, this Bible edition is placed in the period of political and religious consolidation after the Elector of Saxony, Duke Augustus (1526 – 1586) had created one of the "most modern territorial states in Germany" [Moeller 179] and a flourishing country favoured by its mining treasures. “Nowhere the public finances were so well-ordered", Electoral Saxony possessed "a position of supremacy in the empire" [ibid. 180], here also Protestantism had its center.
A personal gift from a Prince to a high-ranking official
August consistently continued the expansion of the state and the administration in the form of further fiscal reforms to strengthen the material basis of his power, which was combined in a peculiar way with the stabilization of the religious superstructure – precisely this phenomenon is palpable in our copy of the Bible.
The first volume is preceded by an additional sheet of parchment with a frame of liquid gold, on which two large D initials draw the eye first to the donor: "Der Durchlauchtigste hochgeborene / Herr Augustus Hertzogk Zu Sachsen" is named – quite officially – with his most important titles. Then one learns in the dedication written in a stylized Gothic textura that he had "a few copies" printed on parchment, and the present one he dedicated on August 6, 1564, to his "rentschreiber" Johann Pyrner. In addition, his Electoral Grace had him "most graciously reminded by the same Renthmeister Bartel Lauterbachen vnnd vermahnen lassen / darin vleißigst Zuelesen Vnnd seinen dinst treuen Zuuerrichten".
Is a more direct link between state and state religion conceivable? Emperor Maximilian I, as the 'last knight', had still rewarded his followers with copies on vellum of his Theuerdank in 1517. The Reformation brought about a change in this dedication practice as well: already of Lufft's Bible printing of 1541, it is known that "protestant princes chose this median edition to have especially precious [...] parchment copies produced", for which "the younger Cranach designed heraldic title pages" [Volz 1978, 155] with coats of arms.
This gift from a Prince to a high-ranking official no longer has only a representative and symbolic value, but serves as a means of symbolic value, in which the civil servants have a key function.
Just as the state as a whole is based on religion, so personal religiosity is closely associated with service to the princely ecclesiastical ruler. Herein the demanded piety of Johann Pyrner is no longer a private matter, it departs from the original Reformation doctrine, according to which faith alone is important.
How seriously religion was taken in this process is shown by the inclusion of another prominent Saxon official: on the second flyleaf is an autograph sermon by the famous theologian and general superintendent Nicolaus Selneccer (1530 - 1592), dated Dresden, August 5, 1569.
The magnificent Bible, the sermon written in it, and its content point at the same time to a basic principle that the Protestant denomination shares with modern administrative action: sola scriptura.
Finally, the network of court servants involved in our copy includes Dresden's Court and master bookbinder Brosius Faust. He worked, among others, for the Rentkammer [cf. Schunke 1943, 64], and so it is not surprising that he was entrusted with this order.
The imposing pigskin bindings with the mighty brass fittings are dated 1564, thus they date from the year of the dedication to Johann Pyrner. He used five different rolls on the covers. All in all, his "Wittenberg style" resembles several bindings of Jakob Krause [see ibid, plate 15, and Schmidt, Jakob Krause, plates 1-6], who came to Dresden in 1566 as court bookbinder and shared some tools with Faust.
Even though the Elector had "a few copies" printed on parchment – at a cost, which hardly any other prince of the empire could have afforded – Van Praet knew of only five, all printed in 1558 and apparently donated by Duke August, all of which were in German libraries.
According to the latest information from the Berlin State Library, there exist only three copies worldwide (in Berlin, Munich and London); ours is the only one that was ever offered on the market in the last 450 years.
The rarity of our dedication copy is matched by its beauty and flawlessness: In its massive original bindings, it is complete and in near-mint preservation.
Provenance: Johann Pyrner, Rentschreiber of the Saxon Elector, 1564 – "German Collector", sale Christie's London, 23.6.1993, No. 49: £ 243.500 (Sfr. 562.500) – H. P. Kraus, catalog 200, New York 1994, No. 159: $ 625.000 (= ca. CHF 820.000).
This book has been described in great detail in our catalogue 90 “Wunderkammer”, lot 29. Click here to view the eCatalogue or order the printed version in our Online Shop.
If you would like to receive further information on this work, please contact us.