German School 15th century

Woodcut printed from one block, divided in three sheets, hand-coloured in brown, jade green, terracotta, pale pink and light ochre, three plates, circa 1480-1500, first state (of two) of this extremely rare work, before the arms of Pfalz and Bavaria and the replacement of God holding the dead Christ by a half length figure of God the Father, on paper with a Lozenge with Vertical Band watermark (cf. Briquet 2065, d. 1470), trimmed to or on the borderline in places, each with repaired paper cuts across sheet, repaired tears at edges of central and right panel, a few nicks and paper losses mainly along edges of sheet, wormholes, other minor defects, backed with a thin sheet, in generally good condition for sheets of this kind   

We would recommend viewing before bidding
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The symmetry of the present work underlines the offering of identical rules to the nuns and monks as well as the unusual characteristic of the double order where men and women were gathered under the same roof.

Bridget's daughter Catherine, who established the first Brigittine monastery in Vadstena, is depicted on the left in the first row. The carefully trimmed vine refers to the Prologue of the Regula Salvatoris where Christ compares the previous religious orders to the vineyards destroyed by thieves and tempests; and tells Bridget that he is going to establish a new order, new vineyards, new wine... where the bad branches will be cut off in order to improve the quality of the vine.

Field lists only 3 impressions of the first state in the print room of Berlin, Munich and Schloss Harburg (Collection Oettingen-Wallerstein), and two of the second state in Munich and London.   

See Richard S. Field, St. Bridget giving her Rule to the Nuns and Monks of her Order, in Origins of European Printmaking, (Washington, 2005), pp. 324-327.