Historiarum veteris instrumenti icones

While producing the Images of Death, Lützelburger and Holbein were also collaborating on a series of illustrations of the Old Testament for the same Lyon printers. Slightly larger than the death scenes, the Old Testament images often feature expansive landscapes reflecting the epic nature of the scriptural narratives. As with the Images of Death, the Old Testament woodblocks were unfinished at Lützelburger’s death; the project was completed by Veit Specklin prior to publication. The woodcuts were used to illustrate this small picture book and a Bible.

Historiarum veteris instrumenti icones ad vivum expressae (Icons of deeds of ancient history represented from life)
Woodcuts by Hans Lützelburger (1495?–1526) and Veit Specklin (d. 1550), after designs by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98–1543)
Lyon: Melchior and Gaspar Trechsel for Jean and François Frellon, 1538
The Morgan Library & Museum, purchased with the De Forest collection, 1899; PML 2126