Folio, (380 x 262 mm). 387 ff. (without final blank), ff. [2], I-CCCLXXXV. Foliation as in Rosenwald and Fairfax Murray (not as GW: “CCCLXXX, with errors”). Colophon with printing error: “Tausent vierzehenhundert” (see BMC II, p. 433), cancelled in ink by an early hand. Four pages with a manuscript index of saints at the end, written by the former owner Christoph Wellhammer. Fine Nuremberg 16th century blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, with two clasps and ten brass corner and centre pieces; two roll tools recorded by Haebler II, p. 165, no. 2 and 3, dated “1588”. The brass clasps with stamp BH; i.e. the Nuremberg goldsmith Balthasar Holweck (cf. Arnim, note 184/8). A few marginal annotations, occasionally some brown staining, a few tears, else a stellar copy with contemporary color to the woodcuts and with two coloured initials on gold ground mark the beginning of the summer and winter part (fol. I and CLXXIII), the legends commencing with an initial in red or blue, paragraph marks in red.

Provenance:

1- Nuremberg, Christoph Wellhammer (1585-1646), preacher at the church of the Holy Spirit (cf. M. Simon, Nürnbergisches Pfarrbuch ... 1524-1806, Nuremberg 1960, p. 249; Arnim, note), his ownership inscription on pastedown; the annotations and extra leaves are also by his hand.

2- Nuremberg, Martin Carl Schweyer (18th/19th century), inscription on pastedown, his stamp “MCS” on fol. 1r.

3- Zurich, Schumann, sale 14/15 September 1950, lot 249; sold to Dr. Oppenheimer.

4- Schweinfurt, Otto Schäfer collection (OS 155), acquired in November 1959 from W. Heimann.