Bible. New Testament. German

folio (308 x 212mm.), aaa-zzz Aaa-Bbb⁶, PRINTED ON VELLUM, title within woodcut border, woodcut initials and illustrations, ALL RICHLY COLOURED IN A CONTEMPORARY HAND, a few small repairs to vellum (that on aaa2 before printing), modern brown morocco over beech boards, blind tooling on upper cover, two clasps, edges with old gilding and gauffering, stubs of index tabs, modern slipcase, UNTRIMMED, spine slightly faded

In the possession of the owner's family since at least the early 20th century

VD16 B2696 (the whole Bible); Van Praet, Vélins du roi I, 41; Vélins du Bibliothèque nationale I, 53; cf. Darlow and Moule 4201 (Steiner's NT only, also on vellum and coloured but in octavo format)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

RARE, ONE OF PERHAPS TEN VELLUM COPIES. This is the final section of a complete Bible printed by Steiner in 1535, on both paper and vellum; the parchmenter is named in the colophon of the vellum copies.

The first part of Martin Luther's influential translation of the Bible appeared in September 1522, with the publication of his New Testament, and it was completed in 1532 with the publication of the Prophets. The first complete Luther Bible appeared in Wittenberg in 1534; this is part of the second edition.

Lucas Cranach designed the illustrations for the September Testament, and the woodcuts used for the present edition were based on Cranach's title-page (almost identical to Cranach's 1534 title-page border) and on Holbein's illustrations for Revelation, which derived from Dürer's Apocalypse and had first appeared in a Basel edition of the Bible. Steiner had used these cuts previously in 1531 for a Luther New Testament (VD16 B4401). The colouring in this copy is very close to that in the Ryrie copy of this Bible (Sotheby's New York, 5 December 2016, lot 124), indicating that it was carried out for Steiner. While Luther was ambivalent about the book of Revelation, in the same manner as Erasmus, he viewed it as an opportunity to create anti-papal images, which is perhaps why it was the only part of his Bible to be illustrated so fully.

Van Praet mentions eight copies on vellum: two in the Bibliothèque du roi, one in the Bibliothèque nationale, one in Berlin, one in Lübeck, one in the royal library in Copenhagen, one at Wolfenbüttel, and a copy with a London bookseller (subsequently at Chatsworth, sold by Christie's New York, 25 September 1981, lot 189). There is also the Ryrie copy, sold last year, and now the present copy of the New Testament. The Christie's catalogue opined that there were ten copies printed at the behest of Johann Friedrich, elector of Saxony.

The present binding was made in 1971 by Rudolf Möller of Berlin; previously there was an eighteenth-century red velvet binding.