Title Page by Holbein of 1525

[German New Testament]. Das neuw Testamẽt recht grüntlich teütscht.
Basel: Adam Petri, 1525. (BRA0269/C)

Like most books of the pre-Reformation period, Bibles did not have formal title pages. Instead, they began with an elaborate initial introducing St. Jerome’s prologue to the text. As printed title pages gained in popularity and formality, Bibles began to incorporate title pages with elaborate woodcut borders and illustrations. This 1525 Basel edition of Luther’s German New Testament bears an especially handsome title page that was carved from a woodblock by Hans Lützelburger after an original design by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543). St. Peter with his key and St. Paul with his sword stand in architectural niches to either side of the title, while the symbols of the four evangelists occupy the corners of the composition. The armorial device of Basel appears at top center, with the printer’s “logo” at the bottom.