The Ship of Fools

The Ship of Fools – Vicent Garcia Editores – Inc. 843 – Biblioteca Nacional de España (Madrid, Spain)

Burgos (Spain) — after February 18th, 1500

First printed almost 2000 years after its creation: the Spanish translation of Plato's famous social criticism, wrapped in the allegory of an inept captain and his crew full of fools

  1. The allegory first appeared in Book VI of the Republic by Plato (428/7 or 424/3 – 348/7 BC)

  2. It is commonly used to represent the flaws, immoralities, and absurdity of contemporary society

  3. The Spanish edition was first printed ca. 1500 in Burgos by Fadrique Biel de Basilea (active 1484–1517)

The Ship of Fools

  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
The Ship of Fools

This Spanish codex from ca. 1500 was printed nearly 2,000 years after the story it contains was first authored by Plato in Ancient Greece. It represents what is arguably the world’s oldest allegory, the Ship of Fools, which is a form of social commentary comparing a corrupted society to a ship that is aimlessly sailing in the sea. This represents part of the wave of literature from antiquity that was being rediscovered and translated in the West during the Renaissance.

The Ship of Fools

The The Ship of Fools is an allegory that has been repeatedly used in Western literature and art since its inception in Book VI of the Republic by Plato (428/7 or 424/3 – 348/7 BC). The original allegory is that of a ship whose captain is unable to navigate and whose crew, consisting of fools who are all unqualified to steer the ship but unwilling to concede to anyone else doing so, quarrel with one another over who should assume control. All suffer as a result. This allegory has been commonly used to represent the flaws, immoralities, and absurdity of contemporary society. This specimen of “Fool’s Literature” is a complimentary text to the famous Das Narrenschiff, written by Sebastian Brant (1457–1521) and published in Basel, Switzerland ca. 1494. Jodocus Badius Ascensius (1462–1535) was a grammarian and pedagogue, first living in Lyon before moving to Paris in 1503, where he set up a printing house. The Spanish edition of his Stultiferae naves was first printed ca. 1500 by Fadrique Biel de Basilea (active 1484–1517) in Burgos, in the first printing house in the city. The codex reuses the eight precise woodcuts from the Parisian edition.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Stultiferae Naves
Size / Format
48 pages / 21.5 × 16.0 cm
Origin
Spain
Date
after February 18th, 1500
Style
Language
Illustrations
Engravings for the fools
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
The Ship of Fools – Vicent Garcia Editores – Inc. 843 – Biblioteca Nacional de España (Madrid, Spain)
Vicent Garcia Editores – Valencia, 1998
Limited Edition: 3160 copies
Facsimile Editions

#1 Stultiferae Naves

Vicent Garcia Editores – Valencia, 1998

Publisher: Vicent Garcia Editores – Valencia, 1998
Limited Edition: 3160 copies
Binding: Parchment binding on wooden board; presented in a cloth-lined case with gold engraved leather spine
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)
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