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Leaf from Das Narrenschiff (Latin: Stultifera Navis) by Sebastian Brant [ [‘Latina nauis seu barca socialis’ (Latin ship or social boat)] Imprint title: Printed in Strasbourg by Johann (Reinhard) Grüninger, June 1, 1497; Latin translation by Jakob Locher
Leaf from Das Narrenschiff (Latin: Stultifera Navis) by Sebastian Brant [ [‘Latina nauis seu barca socialis’ (Latin ship or social boat)] Imprint title: Printed in Strasbourg by Johann (Reinhard) Grüninger, June 1, 1497; Latin translation by Jakob Locher

Leaf from Das Narrenschiff (Latin: Stultifera Navis) by Sebastian Brant [ [‘Latina nauis seu barca socialis’ (Latin ship or social boat)] Imprint title: Printed in Strasbourg by Johann (Reinhard) Grüninger, June 1, 1497; Latin translation by Jakob Locher

Author Sebastian Brandt German, 1458–1521
Printer Johann Grüninger (Johann Reinhard) German, Strasbourg, active from 1483, d. 1531
Translator Jakob Locher German, 1471–1528
Artist Unknown
DateJune 1, 1497
MediumInk on paper, woodcut
Dimensions7 7/8 x 5 3/8 in. (20.0 x 13.7 cm)
ClassificationsBook Arts
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the State of North Carolina
Object number62.1.1/7
On View
On view
Label TextIn 1494 a humanist writer and an enterprising printer in Basel collaborated on an illustrated book that would become an immediate publishing sensation: Das Narrenschift (Ship of Fools), a satire on human foolishness in which 112 different types of fools journey to Narragonia (Fools’ Paradise). The original German text was also translated into other European languages—starting with Latin—and widely circulated.

This leaf comes from a pirated edition of the Latin text of Das Narrenschift (Ship of Fools). The printer commissioned a completely new set of illustrations from an unnamed artist in his workshop. The now-famous woodcut here appears three times in the book, including on the title page.
[L. Humphrey, “The People’s Collection, Reimagined,” 2026]
ProvenanceFred Werther, Baltimore, MD, no. 827; [Ferdinand Roten Galleries, Inc., 123 W. Mulberry St, Baltimore, Maryland]; NCMA purchase on February 13, 1962.Published ReferencesJustus Bier, "Early Book Art," North Carolina Museum of Art Calendar of Art Events, (May 1962), mentioned on unnumbered page; also in "Catalogue of Early Book Art," cat. no. 26.

"Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 4, nos. 2 and 3 (Winter-Spring 1964), listed 65.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Early Book Art,” May 1962, then traveling, cat. no. 26.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “The People's Collection Reimagined," July 1-December 17, 2024.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection Reimagined," May 19, 2026-present.
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