Biblia pauperum : [Blockbuch]

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

Description

The "Biblia pauperum" or "Paupers' Bible" is a key work in late medieval typology which probably originated in the 13th century in south-eastern Germany or Austria. The title only appears in late medieval manuscripts but does not mean that the work was intended primarily for the poor or less educated. Rather, it served to impart biblical knowledge by illustrating the fulfilment of the Old Testament through the New Testament. At the centre of each panel is a Christological scene from the New Testament (antitypus), flanking two Old Testament scenes (types) and surrounding four portraits of prophets. Short texts are integrated into the pictures, such as title verses, prose explanations and the prophets' prophecies. The work was widely distributed in xylographic and typographic prints. The Latin "Biblia pauperum" has been preserved in eleven block book editions, of which the early ones were probably written in the Netherlands. At about the same time, around 1462/1463, Albrecht Pfister in Bamberg published the first print with movable type (BSB-Ink B-502). The first German-language block books of the work were produced in 1470 in Nördlingen and 1471 in Nuremberg. Datum: 2016

Author

Peter Czoik

Rights Statement Description

CC0