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Calendar

A work made of hand-colored woodcut and letterpress in black and red, with pen and ink, and metal and string elements, on cream and tan laid papers, in original full alum-tawed pigskin over beveled wooden boards, sewn on raised thongs, blind tooled ‘all-over’ with small tools in an h-frame layout, with two brass hook-clasp fastenings, and hand-sewn headbands.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of hand-colored woodcut and letterpress in black and red, with pen and ink, and metal and string elements, on cream and tan laid papers, in original full alum-tawed pigskin over beveled wooden boards, sewn on raised thongs, blind tooled ‘all-over’ with small tools in an h-frame layout, with two brass hook-clasp fastenings, and hand-sewn headbands.

Date:

1476

Artist:

Johannes Regiomontanus
Italian, 1436-1476

About this artwork

Johannes Regiomontanus published his secular bestseller, the 1474 Calendar, in Latin and German editions. Both include three scientific instruments used to measure time throughout Europe and a lunar volvelle diagram with a stack of moving dials. The final woodcut in the book is the more flexible universal dial shown here. The articulated brass arm with a modern string attached could be positioned to tell time at most European latitudes; it was definitely used, as the color beneath the arm is worn. Latin annotations throughout the volume show that it was consulted for nearly thirty years and used as a family chronicle to record the dates of birth and death of several children. The inscription under the universal dial comments at greater length on another death, possibly that of the writer’s wife, as it is repeated elsewhere in the book: In the year 1501 on October 23, died Christina Peterzaleni […] may she rest in peace.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Johannes Regiomontanus

Title

Calendar

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1476

Medium

Hand-colored woodcut and letterpress in black and red, with pen and ink, and metal and string elements, on cream and tan laid papers, in original full alum-tawed pigskin over beveled wooden boards, sewn on raised thongs, blind tooled ‘all-over’ with small tools in an H-frame layout, with two brass hook-clasp fastenings, and hand-sewn headbands

Dimensions

28.6 × 20.5 cm (11 5/16 × 8 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Emil Eitel in memory of Mrs. Emil Eitel

Reference Number

1948.343

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/63307/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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