Sumberg, Samuel L.: The Nuremberg Schembart carnival (New York: Columbia University Press, 1941)

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THE PAGEANTS

a black demon in an ox-mask is shooting water or fire from a
syringe; next to him a rabbit is standing guard, while a long-
breasted devil and a phantastically horned and bearded creature
are hurling large stones, which they hold in their claws. On the
right side of the ship a wolfish devil is wielding a spear; beside
him is a birdlike grotesque; another black-furred demon of the
long-breasted type is pulling his wide mouth into a fierce grimace;
a cross-billed creature is repelling an attacker with a hoe. In the
prow stands a goatish grotesque with a blue scaly body, his head
covered by a red, horn-billed bird-mask; he has an armful of
stones and is about to fling one of them down.
In the midst of this howling crew, stands the masker represent-
ing Dr. Osiander, in his black gown and barret; here he wears
a long beard and is holding both the open backgammon board and
the large key himself.266 From the opposite side of the square the
great band of masked Ldufer, in their costumes of white and
purple and gold,267 are marching in under a striped banner of the
same colors. Galloping along with this troop come three heralds
on horseback and a mounted piper, blowing his fife and beating
his tabor; their horses are white and decked out in purple harness
and bells. All four are costumed in white, with a yellow sash across
the breast and purple pompons on their sleeves; the heralds wear
a barret trimmed with white and purple pompons, and hold a
short thick staff in their free hands; the piper's hat is a conical
clown's cap, striped in the colors of the year. We see a forest of
staves and leaves, carried by the Ldufer. The sheaves are used only
as fireworks, flame and smoke shooting from many of them; the
staves are carried across the shoulder while marching in closed
ranks, and swung low while running to the attack. The runners
have a pouch slung across the shoulder; perhaps this contained
the material for the fireworks.
266 The difference in the miniatures is not unusual, as we have seen. As noted
above, n. 246, some MSS remark on the resemblance of the masker to Osiander.
Masks reproducing the features of well-known characters were worn by the Parisian
Basochiens in 1500, cf. Petit de Julleville (Les Comediens), p. 120; Stumpfl
(Masken), p. 46, n. 125, cites an Italian example.
267 The hats on the Laufer in this large miniature are different from those in the
miniature of the Ldufer for the year; here each Ldufer wears a white hat with a
wing on it. In some MSS the winged hat does appear on the Ldufer for this year.