Historia septem sapientum, dt. ; Martinus Oppaviensis: Chronicon pontificum et imperatorum, dt.
A German manuscript from about 1450, the Historia septem sapientum (the story of the seven wise masters) paired with a chronicle of popes and emperors, held by Heidelberg University Library. Its pictures are small, hand-coloured scenes of crowned rulers, attendants and bystanders in pink, green and ochre, set against simple architecture and rocky ground, with a red-ink rubric above each. A designer might take its flat colour blocking, sparse settings and clear gestures between figures as a model for simple narrative staging.
