Anton WOENSAM called Anton von Worms (Worms? 1493-96ca - Köln 1541ca) "Great Initial A with scene of putti" Original woodcut from the graphic kit of a specimen of the "Ex Recognitione Des. Erasmi Roterodami. C. Svetonius Tranquillo .. ”published in Cologne by Eucharius Cervicornus in 1527. This is the first letter of a Kinder Alphabet engraved by Woensam on the example of the one drawn by Albrecht Dürer and engraved on wood by Hieronymus Resch in Nuremberg in 1521. L The attribution to Dürer is present both on the British Museum and on the Victoria & Albert Museum in London where the Jennings Collection is kept, which includes most of the letters. Already Weigel in 1856 speaks of Dürer's alphabet and defines the copy of Woensam as the best. Weigel himself publishes two images (letters O and Q) that allow us to appreciate the most obvious difference between the two series, namely the addition of Woensam of the second line engraved on the left side of the initials to obtain a two-dimensional effect, which is missing in the original drawings. Johann Jacob Merlo in his 1864 monograph on Woensam takes up Weigel's considerations and enriches them with the description of the letter I which was missing from the list of the latter. A different opinion on the authorship of the design of these initials is that of Passavant who assigns them to the work of Hans Burgmair. Beautiful specimen with the typographic text on the back, trimmed on the framing line and in perfect condition. Bibliography: Butsch “Bücher Ornamentik der Renaissance” Munich 1922 pag.27 and tav.82. Jennings "Early Woodcut Initials" London 1908 p. 52 and Tables 168 and 169. Blackbird "Anton Woensam von Worms" Leipzig 1864 No. 538. Passavant "Le Peintre-Graveur" Leipzig 1862 Volume III page 226 No. 346. Thieme - Becker "Allgemeines Lexicon der bildenden Kunstler" Leipzig, sd vol.XXXVI page 165. Weigel "Altdeutsches Holzschnitt-Alphabet" in Archiv für Zeichnenden Künste Leipzig 1856 p. 212. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1196688/print-hirtzhorn-eucharius/ http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1550410&partId=1&searchText=initial+durer Measures in mm: 56ca x 56ca