Bible. High German

2 volumes, Royal folio (391 x 258mm.), 583 leaves (of 586, without 3 blank leaves), [a⁴ b-d⁸ e⁶ f-z⁸ A-O⁸ P⁶; Q-Z⁸ aa-zz⁸ AA-CC⁸ DD-FF⁶], double column, 50 lines plus headline, gothic type, 109 woodcut illustrations WITH CONTEMPORARY HAND-COLOURING, 3- to 10-line initials in red or blue, the larger ones with penwork decoration or marginal extensions, two initials in blue on gold grounds with red and green borders on fol. 296, red initial-strokes, a few early annotations, contemporary Salzburg blind-stamped and carved pigskin over bevelled wooden boards, the word BIBLIA carved at head of upper covers, brass corner-pieces and two clasps, a leaf of contemporary manuscript at end of volume 2 listing readings from the bible for appropriate days, first few leaves in volume 1 repaired in gutter, 11 leaves supplied from another copy and remargined at foot (fols 5-6, 13, 20, 213-214, 235-236, 283, 289-290), a few other leaves remargined at foot, a few small marginal paper repairs, M4 repaired at foot just touching text, small wormhole at start of second volume just touching text, bindings slightly rubbed, lacking front flyleaves, small tear at head of upper joint of volume 2

Walther Adam (1881-1964), sale, Dr Helmut Tenner (Heidelberg), 6 May 1980, lot 709, for 92,000 DM; Heribert Tenschert, Biblia sacra, catalogue 48 (2004), no.15

Goff B632; H 3137; BMC ii 424; Bod-inc B-330; BSB-Ink B-490; GW 4303; Schreiber 3461; Fairfax Murray, German 63

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A TALL COLOURED COPY OF KOBERGER'S INFLUENTIAL GERMAN BIBLE IN A CONTEMPORARY BINDING.

Germany had an early tradition of producing bibles in the vernacular; John L. Flood lists fourteen editions of pre-Reformation Bibles in High German, beginning with Johann Mentelin's of 1466, and ending with Silvan Otmar's in 1518; this Koberger edition is number 9 in his list ("Martin Luther's Bible translation in its German and European context", in The Bible in the Renaissance, Aldershot, 2001). The woodcuts had appeared in Cologne editions of the bible in Low German, GW 4307-4308, c. 1478-79, published by a consortium in which Koberger had been a participant; he subsequently obtained the blocks in Cologne for use in this edition. The text was based on Zainer's edition of c.1475, but revised in accordance with the Vulgate ("gegen dem lateynischen text gerechtvertigt... Unn mit schoenen figuren dy historien bedeutende").

The decoration and colouring was doubtless carried out in Koberger's workshop, as it is sufficiently similar to that in other coloured copies (such as the University of Glasgow copy). It is thought that Koberger produced this bible in three versions, one illuminated, one coloured (as here), and one plain. The print run may have been as high as 1,500 copies, as more than 200 survive today in varying states of completeness. It is the only bible in German printed by Koberger, who also issued numerous Latin bibles.

The binding is a combination of cut-leather (lederschnitt) decoration and blind-stamped tools. A binding with very similar decoration, made for the bishop of Chiemsee on a book printed in Nuremberg in 1474, is now in the Bavarian State Library (Schmidt-Künsemüller, Corpus der gotischen Lederschnitteinbände, 207; see also 269 and 275, also made for the bishop of Chiemsee, now in Salzburg; the bishop died in 1477). The lower cover has the same decoration as both covers of this book: a blind-ruled diaper pattern, within each compartment a central rose stamp carved along its outline with carved wavy lines extending to the corners and a headed outline tool giving each compartment the look of an oak leaf. Similar oak-leaf bindings have been assigned to the bindery Salzburg II, active 1468-1495, which was connected with the binder Ulrich Schreier, whose work included many cut-leather bindings (P. Wind, Die Verzierten Einbände der Handschriften der Erzabtei St Peter zu Salzburg bis 1600, Vienna, 1982, p. 119).