Details
THWROCZ, Johannes de (fl. 2nd half of 15th-century). Chronica Hungariae. Augsburg: Erhard Ratdolt, for Theobaldus Feger in Buda, 3 June 1488.
Median 4° (227 x 172mm). Collation: π2 a-g8 h6 i10 k-o8 p6 q-t8 v4 x8 y10 (π1r blank, π1v armorial woodcut, π2r full-page woodcut, π2v dedication by Feger to Matthias Corvinus, a1r preface, a2r text, v2v-4 blank, x1r full-page woodcut, x1v blank, x2r Super destructione regni Hungarie per Tartaros, y9r verses, y9v colophon, Feger's device, register, y10 blank). 172 (of 174, without blank v3-4) leaves. 38 lines. Type: 7:92G, 4:76 (on title woodcut). 66 woodcuts from 32 blocks, including 41 full-length portraits of rulers, full-page armorial woodcut, two full-page scenes, and 22 battle scenes, all COLOURED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND in green, orange, yellow, purple, red and brown, by the Master of the Hungarian Chronicle and another artist, white-on-black and lombard initials. (Small hole in a1 affecting a few letters, small stains at inner margin of c8-d4.) Contemporary calf blindstamped with rolls and stamps, title stamped on front cover, brass corner- and centrepieces, 2 brass fore-edge clasps (expertly rebacked and restored).
Second edition, following by only 75 days the first edition printed at Brünn. The amendments to the text made by Ratdolt for the second edition show the highly charged political atmosphere surrounding the Chronica Hungariae. The work first appeared seven months after the siege of Vienna by Matthias Corvinus, published at the request of the Bishop of Várad, a chancellor to Matthias, and it contained a celebration of that victory. In his Augsburg edition, Ratdolt expunged certain passages, notably all references to Matthias as "Herzog von Österreich". The armorial woodcut which Ratdolt added to his edition has at its centre the arms of Matthias and his Queen, Beatrice of Aragon, surrounded by the arms of the lands and family of Hunyadi, but the Austrian arms are absent. Ratdolt clearly was responding to political pressure from Friedrich III, who had forbidden any Nuremberg and Strassburg printers from printing for Matthias, while he was still maintaining strong business contacts. His edition was published for the bookseller Theobald Feger at Buda, it was dedicated to Matthias Corvinus, and in the dedication copy in the Bibliotheca Corvina, which was printed on vellum with the dedication printed in gold, the arms of Austria were added by hand to the armorial cut. (See Ilona Hubay, "Die illustrierte Ungarnchronik des Johannes von Thúrocz," Gutenberg-Jahrbuch 1962, pp.390-399.)
Thirty-one of the woodcuts are used here for the first time. They are modelled on those in the Brünn edition, with the additional first two full-page woodcuts and the small battle scenes, one of which comes from Ratdolt's 1485 edition of the Fasciculus temporum. The present copy is variant c (as the Grenville copy at the British Library, IB. 6665) with the main text ending at the bottom of v2r. HC *15518; BMC II, 381 (IB. 6663-5); Goff T-361; Schreiber 4395; Schramm XXIII, p.25.
Median 4° (227 x 172mm). Collation: π2 a-g8 h6 i10 k-o8 p6 q-t8 v4 x8 y10 (π1r blank, π1v armorial woodcut, π2r full-page woodcut, π2v dedication by Feger to Matthias Corvinus, a1r preface, a2r text, v2v-4 blank, x1r full-page woodcut, x1v blank, x2r Super destructione regni Hungarie per Tartaros, y9r verses, y9v colophon, Feger's device, register, y10 blank). 172 (of 174, without blank v3-4) leaves. 38 lines. Type: 7:92G, 4:76 (on title woodcut). 66 woodcuts from 32 blocks, including 41 full-length portraits of rulers, full-page armorial woodcut, two full-page scenes, and 22 battle scenes, all COLOURED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND in green, orange, yellow, purple, red and brown, by the Master of the Hungarian Chronicle and another artist, white-on-black and lombard initials. (Small hole in a1 affecting a few letters, small stains at inner margin of c8-d4.) Contemporary calf blindstamped with rolls and stamps, title stamped on front cover, brass corner- and centrepieces, 2 brass fore-edge clasps (expertly rebacked and restored).
Second edition, following by only 75 days the first edition printed at Brünn. The amendments to the text made by Ratdolt for the second edition show the highly charged political atmosphere surrounding the Chronica Hungariae. The work first appeared seven months after the siege of Vienna by Matthias Corvinus, published at the request of the Bishop of Várad, a chancellor to Matthias, and it contained a celebration of that victory. In his Augsburg edition, Ratdolt expunged certain passages, notably all references to Matthias as "Herzog von Österreich". The armorial woodcut which Ratdolt added to his edition has at its centre the arms of Matthias and his Queen, Beatrice of Aragon, surrounded by the arms of the lands and family of Hunyadi, but the Austrian arms are absent. Ratdolt clearly was responding to political pressure from Friedrich III, who had forbidden any Nuremberg and Strassburg printers from printing for Matthias, while he was still maintaining strong business contacts. His edition was published for the bookseller Theobald Feger at Buda, it was dedicated to Matthias Corvinus, and in the dedication copy in the Bibliotheca Corvina, which was printed on vellum with the dedication printed in gold, the arms of Austria were added by hand to the armorial cut. (See Ilona Hubay, "Die illustrierte Ungarnchronik des Johannes von Thúrocz," Gutenberg-Jahrbuch 1962, pp.390-399.)
Thirty-one of the woodcuts are used here for the first time. They are modelled on those in the Brünn edition, with the additional first two full-page woodcuts and the small battle scenes, one of which comes from Ratdolt's 1485 edition of the Fasciculus temporum. The present copy is variant c (as the Grenville copy at the British Library, IB. 6665) with the main text ending at the bottom of v2r. HC *15518; BMC II, 381 (IB. 6663-5); Goff T-361; Schreiber 4395; Schramm XXIII, p.25.