Anton Koberger

Anton Koberger (* around 1440 in Nuremberg, † October 3, 1513 ibid ) (also: Coburg, Coberger, Coburg ) was an important German book printers, publishers and booksellers of incunabula, who recognized as one of the first special economic potential of this sector and its operation as a capitalist enterprise led. He was the godfather of Albrecht Dürer.

Life

Anton Koberger came from a family of bakers Nuremberg. About his early education and career can be no reliable information. In 1464 he was first mentioned in the Nuremberg town books. In 1470 he married Ursula Ingram and after her death in 1491 Margaret Holzschuher. Both wives were from Nuremberg patrician families and gave Anton Koberger total of 25 children, of which only thirteen his father survived.

1470 Koberger founded his own printing press, which he built in the following years to a large company with the participation of other printers. His Offizin to have gradually brought to 24 presses and employs 100 apprentices there. These included printers, typesetters, type founder, illuminists et cetera. By increasing its production succeeded Koberger, with its operation to gain national significance. He exchanged productions with other companies, entertained traveling agents and accountants and established branches throughout Europe ( for example in Venice, Milan, Paris, Lyon, Vienna). Koberger secured the regular disposal by long runs of popular writings and through a standardization of font and set in order to reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition to his print shop, he carried out at least two paper mills.

In 1488 he was a " Called" the great Council of the City of Nuremberg and thus belonged to the patricians. From the 1490s he was also active as a publisher. Since 1504 to Koberger turned primarily to the book trade. Print jobs he often forgave to foreign companies.

Anton Koberger died on October 3, 1513 and was buried at the Nuremberg Johannis Cemetery ( tomb I / 1116). His heirs were unable to keep the operation on track. 1526 Offizin was closed and six years later also abandoned the retail book trade.

Work

From the Nuremberg Offizin went up to the year 1500 produced about 250 prints. Although only anno 1473 for the first time a printing gives his name, it can be assumed that Anton Koberger began to print shortly after the founding of his print shop in 1470. His oldest known work is the manuals confessorum of John Nider of 1471.

Koberger printing and publishing program was broad in scope and content versatile. He taught mainly Latin fonts theological, philosophical, canonical and legal content for output, but also printed historical works (eg Vitae Pontificum of Platina ), liturgical (eg Dominican breviary; 1485 Missal Ratzeburgense; 1493 ) and Bibles in various editions. Classical and humanistic title, however, occurred relatively infrequently.

Not particularly numerous, but more important were Anton Koberger German -language prints. As one of its main printing applies the 1483 printed two-volume German edition of the Bible, which is also called Koberger Bible or Bible - Coburg. It was printed in a preform of Schwabacher and decorated with woodcuts of Cologne Low German Bible. The Schatzbehalter of P. Stephan Fridolin, a biblical view 96 -page woodcuts, also one of the most valuable printing the Koberger'schen Offizin. As of particular artistic perfection is also the Apocalypse from the 1498. Contains significant woodcut illustrations by Albrecht Dürer. More German -language prints were a Pharmacopoeia (1477 ), the two-volume Lives of the Saints or the Swabian chronicle.

The up to now most famous publication of Anton Koberger Nuremberg printing is Hartmann Schedel's World Chronicle, the most comprehensive illustrated work of the entire incunabula. This commissioned work of two Nuremberg merchants equipped with 1809 woodcuts by Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff and appeared anno 1493 in a German and a Latin edition. Sales of the Nuremberg original edition has however been very difficult because of the Augsburg Johann Schönsperger brought a cheap reprint of the work on the market in no time.

Others

In the district of Nuremberg gardens behind the fortress of a place and a street named after Koberger.