The third Wittenberg folio edition of Luther's translation. Woodcut illustrations of the Apocalypse of St. John, from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder, depict the defeat of the satanic dragon at the conclusion of that visionary work. The Apocalypse was a favored subject of artists. In Luther’s day, speculation about the end of days and a vivid sense of the "porous" nature of the cosmos – its openness to otherworldly powers of good and evil – were commonplace. Luther himself spoke often of the Devil, sometimes mockingly, as a regular player in the drama of his daily life and struggles.
Shelf Location
CB77 1524
Subjects
Bible. New Testament. German. Luther. 1522
Format
books; prints
Genre
books; prints
Publication Information
publisher not identified: Wittemberg. 1524
Date
[1524]
Physical Description
ccxv numb. : illustrations ; 30 cm (folio)
Note
original filename:1900200010, 1900200011
Colophon: Gedruckt zu wittemberg Melchior vnd Michel Lotther gebruder M.D.XXIIII
Title within ornamental border by Georg Lemberger; the 21 woodcut illustrations (all in the Revelation of St. John) are ascribed to the workshop of Lucas Cranach the elder, perhaps after rough sketches by Cranach himself. Cf. the description in Luther 's Werke (Kritische Gesamtausgabe), Die deutsche Bibel, 2. Bd., p.[266], no. *7, & p.203
The 3d Wittenberg folio edition of Luther's translation