Page from the Nuremberg Chronicle
Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514)
Published by Anton Koberger (1455-1513); illustrations by William Pleydenwurff (d. 1494) and Michael Wolgemut (1434-1519)
Nuremberg, Germany, 1493
Handcolored woodcut
WOP-156h

The Nuremberg Chronicle, which covers history from the Creation to 1493 and ends with an account of the Apocalypse, is a profusely illustrated volume that was printed in various languages. The numerous woodcuts were created by a team of artists headed by Pleydenwurff and Wolgemut and included Albrecht Dürer, Wolgemut's godson and apprentice.

This illustration of an Aristotelian planetary system accompanies the account of the seventh day of Creation. Central to the diagram is the Earth surrounded first by the water, air, and fire, which together make up the four basic elements. Next the positions of the heavenly bodies are described, including: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the band of the Zodiac, beyond which is the sphere of fixed stars. The last sphere represents the primum mobile, Aristotle's hypothetical source of movement of the heavens. Finally we see an illustration of the kingdom of God.