Bibliothèque mondiale du cheval

« With 12 double-page, 392 full-page, and 20 half-page woodcuts of bits and other horse furniture designed and cut by Hans Kreutzberger himself, with manuscript captions throughout in German, and numbered 1-412, and 4 unnumbered double-page, and 8 full-page unnumbered woodcuts.
Extremely rare first edition of this apparently privately printed book by the Augsburg ‘spurmaker’ (Sporner, a provider of spurs for horses) Hans Kreutzberger, with designs for bits, bridles, stirrups and other horse tack, the metalwork and leatherwork patterns of which could also serve as a model book for fabrics, jewellery, architecture and furniture. The book may also be considered the first illustrated trade catalogue from which customers could browse and order at their leisure. Title, two leaves with dedication to Archduke Maximilian (1527- 1576) on the eve of the latter’s accession as King of Germany in 1562 and from 1564 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and the 424 woodcut illustrations on 215 ff. with numbering and captions supplied in handwriting as in all existing copies of this first edition. Many of the bits are extremely elaborately designed, as much for decoration as for use, the caption indicating their purpose and the breed of horse for which they are intended. The 12 double-page woodcuts on the 6 inserted double-leaves show various designs for muzzles on the recto, and various horses (Frisian, Spanish, Hungarian, Mohammedan, etc, horses) with the accompanying riders on the verso. » Dejager (2014)