For centuries, a book printed in 1502 by the Venetian printer Aldos Manutius with text in ancient Greek written in the 2nd century waited patiently on the shelves of the Oldenburg State Library
Exciting for Greek speakers, the recent discovery of German libraries: on the contents page of a 16th century book with text in ancient Greek they discovered a miniature of Albrecht Dürer!
For centuries, a book he printed in 1502 the Venetian printer Aldos Manutios with a text in ancient Greek written in the 2nd century waited patiently on the shelves of the Oldenburg State Library; rarely did a human eye caress its pages, it was valued only as an old book. Until recently, researchers spotted a small painting on the contents page that they believe was created by German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer.
The 16.5 x 6 cm painting depicts two cherubs above imaginary sea creatures. The tongues of these beings intertwine to form an elaborate coat of arms; the coat of arms of the famous academic from Nuremberg – and acquaintance of Albrecht Dürer – Willibald Pirckheimer.
According to the science minister in her state Lower Saxony Björn Thümler, Pirkheimer acquired the book shortly after its publication. Announcing the discovery, the Oldenburg State Library noted that 14 books of Dürer’s drawings were sold in 1634 by Pirckheimer’s heirs. Only six of them are known to exist and experts from the library suggest that the book with the text in ancient Greek may be the seventh of those that the academician’s heirs got rid of from Nuremberg.
The book in question became part of her collection Oldenburg State Library in 1791 it is one of the 263 volumes that make up the Aldinen Collection, widely regarded as one of the most valuable archives of early European typography.
The book is on display at the library until July 16.
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