II

CHARACTER OF THE SCHEMBART MSS
The chronicle of life in late medieval Germany is recorded in
a great variety of textual and iconographic monuments. The texts
range from the simple items of the council minutes to verse
travesties as comprehensive as the Narrenschifi. The illustrations,
from primitive line-drawing to the creations of Durer, form a vivid
pictographic record representing the contemporary scene in closest
detail. The prevailing spirit of inquiry in the epoch of transition
results in a characteristic itemization of all aspects of life. Atten-
tion is focused on securing a clear and isolated image of each
particular type. In literature every familiar theme is treated
exhaustively with all possible variations in a series of short realis-
tic pieces, similar to the earlier Spruchdichtung. It is in this form
that the bold and trenchant genius of such masters as Brant,
Geiler, Murner, and Sachs finds its most adequate expression. The
iconographic counterpart of their satiric, allegoric, or didactic
writings is the colored drawing and the woodcut, both media emi-
nently suitable for the illustration of a broad subject. Further-
more, so great is the appeal made by the pictorial in this age that
the text is at times reduced to a minimum, often indeed to mere
captions, while the pictures assume first importance.1
A never-ending source of inspiration to illustrators and com-
mentators was the individual ranks and professions of society.
The searching light cast by the literature of folly on the earthly
life brought them into relief; hardly a work of this time that does
not contain some representation of the Stdnde. The woodcuts of
1 Special studies of this field are contained in the Studien zur deutschen Kunst-
geschichte (Strassburg: J. H. E. Heitz). The printed illustrations have been gath-
ered and reproduced in A. Schramm, Der Bildersckmuck der Friikdrucke (Leipzig:
Deutsches Museum fur Buch und Schrift, 1920-23; K. W. Hiersemann, 1924-35),
cited below as "Schramm"; M. Geisberg, Die deutsche Buchillustration in der
ersten Halfte des XVI. Jahrhunderts (Miinchen: H. Schmidt, 1930-32), cited below
as "Geisberg (Buchillustration)"; M. Geisberg, Der deutsche Einblattholzschnitt in
der ersten Hdlfte des sechzehnten Jahrhunderts (Munchen: H. Schmidt, 1923-30),
cited below as "Geisberg (Holzschnitt)."

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