Framed Colored Leaf CXCVIII from The Nuremberg Chronicle.

Original leaf from the Nuremberg Chronicle. The leaf gives an account of Bernard of Clairvaux, followed by an account of Alphonsi Petrus, both flourishing in the late 11th - early 12th centuries. There are also accounts of several ominous signs, some depicted in the woodcuts, in the year 1128: "At this time, a number of people in the West were so consumed by holy fire that their limbs became as black as coals. But when they ran into the Church of the Blessed Mary there, and prayed to God, their health returned through the intercession of the Blessed Mary. On the Ides of June in this year it rained blood in various parts of Italy. A sow in the parish of Ligones (Langres), according to the testimony of Vincent of Gaul, bore a little pig with a human face. And in the same year a four-footed chicken was hatched. Fiery rays appeared in the heavens and spread throughout the sky. Stars fell to the earth, and when water was poured on them they gave a loud sound. It was a very harsh winter, followed by a great famine; and many people and much cattle died; and the birds strangled themselves. In Italy occurred an earthquake, which lasted forty days, and overthrew the villages all around. The moon was darkened at night, and it appeared as red as blood. A woman bore a monster, double-bodied, having a human face in front, and the face of a dog in back." The verso addresses other early 12th century matters, a contested choice for Pope that enveloped Honorious the Second, Celestine, et al. Honorious II was followed by Innocent the Second, and he, too, had difficulties retaining power, especially in lieu of the strategizing of Duke Roger of Sicily. This is followed by an account of Otto, Bishop of Bamberg, and finally, a sketch of Baldvinus, the third king of Jerusalem. The depiction of eye-glasses and the so-called "wolfman" -- as it's been described -- make this one of the most interesting leaves. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 25 inches 18.5 inches.