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IM-9661: (295x208mm) Original printed leaf on paper with beautiful woodcut from the Schatzbehalter, (“Treasure Chest or Shrine of True Riches for Salvation and Eternal Blessedness”). The Schatzbehalter was written by the Franciscan preacher Stephan Fridolin (1430-98). This rare incunabula is a leaf from the first printed edition of the work, published in 1491 by Anton Koberger of Nuremberg in an edition of only about 150 copies. It is an exceptional example of the collaboration of early printing with a master woodcut. The edition was lavishly illustrated with full-page woodcuts by the master craftsman Michael Wohlgemuth (1434-1519), teacher of Albrecht Dürer.  

The woodcuts depict two Biblical scenes. Verso: Joseph is being removed from the well and sold to the caravan of Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:18-28). Recto: The Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:21-34).  

Koberger was the leading German publisher of his day - known particularly for the Nuremberg Chronicle and the Schatzbehalter.  He was also Albrecht Dürer’s Godfather – providing Dürer with his early training. The importance of Wohlgemuth as an artist rests, not only on his own individual works, but also on the fact that he was the head of a large workshop, in which the fine arts were carried on by a great number of pupil-assistants, including Albrecht Dürer, who completed an apprenticeship with him between 1486-9.