Ringer Kunst
Fabian von Auerswald. Ringer Kunst. Gedruckt zu Wittemberg: Durch Hans Lufft, 1539.
This is the first edition of wrestling and fencing master Fabian von Auerswald’s Art of Wrestling, complete with extensive text instructing readers on wrestling techniques and including illustrations of various positions and holds. Executed by Lucas Cranach the Younger, the 85 woodcuts all feature the author as one of the demonstrating wrestlers. Upon publication, this was the fourth but most extensive book to date on the “chivalrous and noble arts of wrestling.”