Printers' Marks Part 8

The most famous, as he was one of the earliest, if not actually the first, printers of Nuremberg, or Nurnberg, Anthony Koberger, does not appear to have used a Mark. Indeed, the Printers' Marks of Nurnberg generally do not make anything like so good a show as those of Cologne and other large German cities. The earliest Mark of all is probably that of Wilhelm Moritz Endter's daughter, which represents a rocky landscape, with a town in the background lighted by the sun. Endter's books, it may be mentioned, are excessively rare. A much better known printer of this place is Johann Weissenburger, who started here in 1503, and continued until 1513, when he removed to Landshut, and remained there until 1531.

He used the accompanying Mark at both places,--the precise signification of the letters H H on one side of the globe is not known. Mr. Quaritch describes a book of Jacobus Locher, published by this printer in 1506, which is remarkable as containing a number of woodcuts "which, in their style and spirit, draw the book into close connexion with the 'Ship of Fools.'"

[Ill.u.s.tration: J. WEISSENBURGER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MELCHIOR LOTTER.

M L]

[Ill.u.s.tration: V. SCHUMANN.

V S L D]

Several of the Marks of the early printers of Leipzig, into which printing was introduced in 1480, are of great interest and possess quite a character of their own. One of the earliest, for example, is that of Melchior Lotter, who issued a large number of books from 1491 to 1536.

The word "Lotter" is equivalent to "vagabond" in English, and the Mark herewith consists of an emblem of a mendicant in a half-suppliant posture. Melchior Lotter junior was printing at Wittenberg from 1520 to 1524, where he printed anonymously the first edition of Luther's Bible, with ill.u.s.trations by Lucas Cranach, 1522, which an enthusiastic bibliopole has described as "one of the great works of the world."

Valentin Schumann, 1502-34 (and probably much later), is another eminent Leipzig printer, being the first to attempt printing in Hebrew characters in a Hebrew grammar, 1520. The initials L D on his Mark are taken to signify "Lipsiensis Demander" or Damander, a rude Latinization of Schumann which he sometimes used. Sufficiently quaint also is the Mark of Jacobus Thanner, 1501-21, which forms the initial to the present chapter. By 1500 printing had reached to Olmutz, where Conrad Baumgarten was issuing until 1502 works chiefly levelled against the Church of Rome; from 1503 to 1505 the same printer had established himself in Breslau, which he again changed for Frankfort-am-Oder, 1507-14, removing again in the latter year to Leipzig. The W on one of the shields of his Mark is the initial of Wratislau, the Polish name of Breslau, and the female saint on the other shows the arms of the town. It appears to be uncertain whether printing was introduced into Frankfort-am-Main in 1511 or 1530; but the only Mark which we need quote is that of Johann Feyrabendt, whose chief interest to posterity lies in the fact that he printed Jost Ammon's "Kunstliche wohlgerissene neu Figuren von allerley Jagtkunst," 1592: his Mark is emblematical of Fame, winged, blowing a German horn, and enclosed in a cartouche. Andreas Wechel was printing at Frankfort from 1573 to 1581, his Mark being the well-known one of the Pegasus. Although Jacob Stadelberger, Heidelberg, was not by any means an eminent printer, his Mark is well worthy of note: it consists of three shields, the right of which bears the arms of Bavaria, the left a lion rampant, the arms of Heidelberg, and that of the middle is supposed to represent the arms of Zurich.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CONRAD BAUMGARTEN.

W]

[Ill.u.s.tration: J. FEYRABEND.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: L. GUERBIN.

L C]

[Ill.u.s.tration: JACOB STADELBERGER.]

Adam Steinschawer is said to be the printer of the first book issued at Geneva, in 1479; soon after him came Guerbin, 1482, whose Mark we give after Bouchot. From about 1537 to 1554 Jehan Girard, or Gerard, was busy printing books here; the Mark herewith comes from one of Calvin's books, 1545, the Latin motto being anglicized thus: "I came not to send peace, but a sword," a very proper motto indeed for such an author. Girard used three other Marks of this type. The position of Geneva in literature is French rather than German, and this also holds good with regard to its typographical annals. The accompanying Mark of Jean Rivery, Geneva, 1556-64, is distinct of its kind, and is the smaller of the two examples used by this printer; in the larger one, the same motto appears, but in roman type, not italic; there are also only two trees, both nearly leafless; the hand holding an axe occurs in both examples. Many French printers, for various reasons, and at different times, "retired" to Geneva, as, for example, the Estiennes; the Marks of several Franco-Genevan printers therefore will be found dealt with in the previous chapter. Although printing appears to have been introduced into Zurich in 1508, books executed at this place prior to 1523 are excessively rare. Christopherus Froschover, 1523-48, was by far the most eminent and prolific of the early Zurich printers; to him has been attributed the production of the first English Bible. His Mark is a punning one, _Frosch_ being German for "frog;" it is emblematical of a gigantic frog ridden by a child under a tree, the "larger growth" being surrounded by several of the normal size. Of other Swiss printers whose Marks we reproduce, but to whom we can make no further reference, are Nicolas Brylinger, Basle, 1536-65 (the accompanying example is taken from the t.i.tle-page of "Pantalonis Henrici, Prosopographiae Heroum atque ill.u.s.trium Virorum totius Germaniae," 1565, a folio of three volumes, full of fancifully drawn portraits, the same portrait being often used for several men), and F. Le Preux, of Lausanne, Morges, and Berne.

[Ill.u.s.tration: JEHAN GIRARD.

NON VENI PACEM MITTERE SED GLADIVM.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: J. RIVERY.

La coignee est ia mise a la racine des arbres: parquoy tout arbre qui ne fait pas bon fruit, sera couppe & iette au feu, Mat. III.

LA COIGNEE EST MISE A LA RACINE DES ARBRES PARQVOV LARBRE QUI NE PORTE CERA COPE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: C. FROSCHOVER.

CRISTOF FROSCHOWER ZV ZVRIC]

[Ill.u.s.tration: N. BRYLINGER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: F. LE PREUX.]

[Decoration]

SOME DUTCH AND FLEMISH PRINTERS' MARKS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: J. VELDENER.

velde]

The introduction of the art of printing into the Low Countries, and the rival claim of Coster and Gutenberg, have proved a highly fruitful source of literary quarrels and disputations. It is not worth our while to enter, even briefly, into the merits of the arguments either for or against; and it will suffice for our present purpose to regard Johann Veldener, 1473-7, as the first printer. He was probably a pupil of Ulric Zell, and, like many others of the early Netherland printers, he does not appear to have remained long at one place. For example, he was at Louvain from 1473-7, at Utrecht 1478-81, and at Culemberg, 1482-4. His only Mark appears to be that given herewith, in which his name in an abbreviated form occurs between the two shields, on the right one of which appears the arms of Louvain. His most notable publications were two quarto editions of the "Speculum" in the Dutch language, one of which contained 116 and the other 128 ill.u.s.trations, "printed from the woodcuts that had been previously used in the four notable editions; to make these broad woodcuts, which had been designed for pages in folio, Veldener cut away the architectural framework surrounding each ill.u.s.tration and then sawed each block in two pieces." He received from the University the honorary t.i.tle of Master of Printing, an honour which was also conferred on his more distinguished contemporary, Johann of Westphalia, 1474-96, for whom in fact is claimed the priority of the introduction of printing into Louvain. The first of the large number of books produced by the latter is by Petrus de Crescentiis, "Incipit liber ruraliu cmodoru," 1474, its colophon being printed in red. The accompanying exceedingly curious "souscription," with portrait of the printer, is given from Lambinet's "Recherches." Thierry Martens, or Mertens, or Martin d'Alost (Theodoricus Martinus), may be regarded either as an early printer of Louvain, Antwerp, or Alost, for it is stated that he had presses working simultaneously at the three places; but Alost has the first claims, and it is said that he was printing here in 1473, although as a matter of fact he was only twenty years of age at this period. He was a distinguished scholar, and the friend of Barland and Erasmus, the latter making the following reference to the accompanying Mark, "l'ancre sacree," in the epitaph he wrote as a memorial of his friend:

"Hic Theodoricus jaceo, prognatus Alosto: Ars erat impressis scripta referre typis.

Fratribus, uxori, soboli, notisque superstes, Octavam vegetus praeterii decadem.

Anchora sacra manet, gratae notissima pubi: Christe! precor nunc sis anchora sacra mihi."

[Ill.u.s.tration: JOHANN OF WESTPHALIA.

Et ego Johannes prenotatus alma in universitate Lova- niesi residens dig- num duxi opus hoc insigne immensis ferme tam labori- bus quam impensis ad finem usque perductum meo so- lito signo consig- nando huius in ca- pite libri palam fieri.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THEODORIC MARTENS.

THEODO. MARTIN. EXCVDEBAT.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLARD MANSION.

Fait et jmprime a bruges par colard mansion lan et jour dessusdis]

Colard Mansion, 1474-84, the first printer who worked at Bruges, for an exhaustive account of whose connection with William Caxton the reader is referred to Mr. Blades's monograph, used several Marks, printed in red and black, and similar to the example here given.

In many respects the "Clercs ou Freres de la vie Commune" (Fratres vitae communis), who were printing at Brussels from 1476 to 1487, form one of the most interesting features in the early history of printing in the Low Countries. The types which they used resemble very much those of Arnold Ther h.o.e.rnen, Cologne; and the only book, "diligentia impresse in famosa civitate Bruxellen," to which they put their name, is ent.i.tled "Legendae Sanctorum Henrici Imperatoris et Kunegundis Imperatricis,"

etc., 1484, and this is their only ill.u.s.trated book. "Their productions ill.u.s.trate the stage of transition between the ancient scribe and printer by showing how naturally one succeeded to the other." A full bibliographical account of the Brothers will be found in M. Madden's "Lettres d'un Bibliophile." The Mark here given is reproduced from the above-named work: it consists of an Eagle crowned and displayed, supporting a shield with the arms of Brabant quarterly, with river in bend, and star. The first Deventer printer was Richard Paffroed (the surname has about thirty variations) in 1477, who was either a pupil of Ulric Zell or Ther h.o.e.rnen, and who continued there until the first year of the sixteenth century, and was apparently succeeded by his youngest son Albertus, who was printing there up to about 1530, and whose Mark we give.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BROTHERS OF COMMON LIFE.

D vlieghende Eler zeer hoeghelike Metter wapene me ghi hier tuent Van linte hewpe keyserlike Daer ghi uv met sijt ghenvent]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ALBERTUS PAFFRAEJ.

A P ALBERTVS PAFFRAEJ]

So far as Gouda is concerned, Gheraert or Gerard Leeu and early printing are synonymous. He was a native of this place, and established himself here as a printer in 1477 and continued up to 1484, when he removed his presses to Antwerp, where he was printing until the year of his death, 1493. His "Dialogus Creaturarum," the first edition of which appeared in 1480, had run into over a dozen editions, in Latin or Dutch, by the first year of the sixteenth century. Whilst at Gouda Leeu used several marks, of which the smaller, given on p. 39, was printed in red and black; at Antwerp he used a much more ambitious example, consisting of the arms of the Castle of Antwerp: a battlement and a turreted gate, with two smaller ones on either side; the two large flags bear the arms of the German Empire and of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. Nicolas Leeu, who was printing at Antwerp in 1487-8, was possibly the brother of the more famous typographer, and his Mark consists of the lion (a pun on his surname, which is equivalent to lion) in a Gothic window holding two shields, with the arms of Antwerp on the left and the monogram of Gheraert Leeu on the right. Like Leeu and so many of the other early Dutch printers, the first Delft typographer, Jacob Jacobzoon Van der Meer, 1477-87, employed the arms of the town in which he printed on his Mark, the right shield in the present instance carrying three water-lily leaves. In 1477 he issued an edition of the Dutch Bible, and three years later the first edition of the Psalter, "Die Duytsche Souter," which had been omitted from the Bible. The only other Delft printer to whom we need refer is Christian Snellaert, 1495-7, the only book to which he has placed both his name and his Mark being "Theobaldus Physiologus de naturis duodecim animalium," 1495. His most remarkable production, however, is a "Missale secundum Ordinarium Trajactense," issued about 1497; this Mark, given on p. 35, was also used by Henri Eckert van Hombergh, who was printing at Antwerp from 1500 to 1519: the shield carries the arms of Antwerp; in the arms of Snellaert this shield is blank, and this const.i.tutes the only difference between the two Marks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GERARD LEEU.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: JACOB JACOBZOON VAN DER MEER.

delf in hollant]