Exhibition Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress

Black woodblock print of pair of hands shown across two pages of open book. Hands are palm-side-up and covered with numerous labels. — Stephan Fridolin. *Schatzbehalter der wahren Reichtümer des Heils*. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1491. Photograph by Gavin Ashworth. Vollbehr Collection, Rare Book & Special Collections Division (080.00.00)

Black woodblock print of pair of hands shown across two pages of open book. Names and portraits of saints appear between joints of each finger. — Stephan Fridolin. *Schatzbehalter der wahren Reichtümer des Heils*. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1491. Photograph by Gavin Ashworth. Vollbehr Collection, Rare Book & Special Collections Division (080.00.01)

A Religious Mnemonic

Franciscan monk Stephan Fridolin composed the Schatzbehalter des wahren Reichtümer des Heils (Treasury of the True Riches of Salvation) as a devotional guide for his female congregants at the Convent of Saint Klara in Nuremberg. Arranged according to the liturgical calendar, the Schatzbehalter tells the story of the life and passion of Christ with nearly one hundred elaborate woodcuts. Similar to many devotional books of the time, the Schatzbehalter included a mnemonic, or memory aid, to assist in contemplation both during and after reading.