Second Master of Delft (1480-1498 Act.) Lot n° 6

Master Of Delft - Christ healing the sick of Bethesda / Description: Four scenes about the healing of the sick in Bethesda. Bottom left: the sick man in bed. Bottom right: Christ heals the man and commands him to get up. Top right: the healed man rises from his bed. Middle: Angel stirs the water and man takes his bath. Man carries his sleeping mat. This is a full page incunabula woodcut, from a very early edition of Ludolphus de Saxonia, "Dat Boeck vanden leven ons lief heeren Ihesu Christi". The first edition was published in 1487 in Antwerp, followed by the 1488 edition in Delft, 1495 and 1499 in Zwolle and again in Antwerp in 1510. The woodcut here on auction is attributed to the second master of Delft, alias the Master of the Virgo inter Virgines) and dated 1480-1500. The woodcut was already used in the edition of 22 May 1488. In fact the fresh impression still with complete intact borderlines makes it very plausible our woodcut belongs to the early edition of 22 May 1488. / Dimensions: 17,50 x 14,60 cm / Condition: Excellent impression with unbroken woodcut borderlines tipped with corners on a support sheet. Nice period hand colouring. Gothic Dutch letterpress on the backside in two columns. / Literature: Conway 1884 - (21.12:7) --- "The guilder compass" 1951. Botke, K. --- Prof. Henri Defoer, history of the woodcuts from the Ludolphus editions. ( Jaarboek voor Nederlandse boekgeschiedenis 24/2017) / Medium: Coloured woodcut /Circa: 1480-1503 260