GERMAN ARTIST (Kleinmeister School?)
Sixteenth-century woodcut on paper, with borders of grotesques, later heightened with nineteenth-century hand illumination depicting Saint Margaret [Germany? 16th and 19th century]

Rare sixteenth-century devotional woodcut—possibly by a follower of the Kleinmeister School—transformed in the nineteenth century into a richly illuminated Gothic Revival leaf depicting Saint Margaret.

174 × 125 mm. Single leaf from a sixteenth-century woodcut on paper, later enhanced with nineteenth-century hand illumination depicting Saint Margaret of Antioch, identified by the dragon at her feet and the slender staff and book she holds. The saint is rendered in a vivid magenta-pink robe with a gilded halo, set against a lavishly painted gold ground laid over the original print—perhaps replacing a damaged or earlier image of Saint Margaret or another saint, surrounding the central image are intricately decorated borders featuring vibrant floral arabesques, fantastical grotesques, and figures framed within architectural niches, these painted expertly in an earthy palette of browns and greens. An unidentified heraldic shield appears at the top, possibly indicating a patron’s arms.

The composition represents a compelling synthesis of Renaissance printmaking and Victorian medievalism: a sixteenth-century devotional woodcut reimagined in the nineteenth century as a richly illuminated “manuscript” leaf. Saint Margaret’s traditional iconography—the dragon subdued beneath her feet, the cross-staff, and the book—remains intact, its symbolic resonance (the triumph of faith over evil, the embodiment of wisdom) enhanced by a revivalist decorative vocabulary characteristic of the Gothic Revival.

The original woodcut, though still unidentified, bears stylistic affinities with the work of Sebald Beham and the so-called Kleinmeister School (“Little Masters” School of Engravers), known for their finely detailed devotional prints. Its anonymity suggests it may have been produced in very limited numbers, and its rarity today further underscores its value as a scarce example of early modern devotional print culture. The nineteenth-century interventions, far from merely restorative, elevate the sheet into a romantic pastiche of late-medieval piety and printmaking, blending historical fidelity with revivalist flourish.

Provenance
(1) Unidentified source, Munich – Recorded only as “Munich, ohn,” on reverse, likely indicating purchase in Munich from an unspecified dealer or owner (ohn prob. abbreviating ohne nähere Angaben, i.e. no further details available).

(2) Private Collection, California, USA.

LITERATURE
Unpublished. For related literature see: Roger Wieck, “Folia Fugitiva: The Pursuit of the Illuminated Manuscript Leaf,” Journal of the Walters Art Gallery 54 (1996), pp. 233–54; Alison G. Stewart, “Sebald Beham: Entrepreneur, Printmaker, Painter,” Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art (2012), pp. 1–25.

We thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Peter Bovenmyer for their assistance in preparing this sale.

This lot is located in Chicago.

Christopher Brink

Associate Vice President, Head of Sale, Senior Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

[email protected]312.334.4217

Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Sandra Hindman

Senior Consultant, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Illumination

[email protected]312 280 1212

Sandra Hindman, Senior Consultant, is a leading expert in Medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination. Professor Emerita of Art History at Northwestern University, Professor Hindman is author, coauthor or editor of more than twelve books, as well as numerous articles on the history and reception of illuminated manuscripts and on medieval rings. She is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America, the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne, and the Syndicat National des Antiquaires,The Grolier Club and the Caston Club. In 2023, the French Republic named Sandra Hindman a Chevaliere de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters). She is the owner and CEO of Les Enluminures Paris Chicago and New York founded in 1991.

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

GERMAN ARTIST (Kleinmeister School?)
Sixteenth-century woodcut on paper, with borders of grotesques, later heightened with nineteenth-century hand illumination depicting Saint Margaret [Germany? 16th and 19th century]

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

GERMAN ARTIST (Kleinmeister School?)Sixteenth-century woodcut on paper, with borders of grotesques, later heightened with nineteenth-century hand illumination depicting Saint Margaret [Germany? 16th and 19th century]

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GERMAN ARTIST (Kleinmeister School?)
Sixteenth-century woodcut on paper, with borders of grotesques, later heightened with nineteenth-century hand illumination depicting Saint Margaret [Germany? 16th and 19th century]