''Ship of Fools'' (

Modern German New High German (NHG; german: Neuhochdeutsch (Nhd.)) is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language, starting in the 17th century. It is a loan translation of the German (). The most important characteristic o ...

: , la, Stultifera Navis, original medieval German title: ) is a satirical allegory in German verse published in 1494 in

Basel, Switzerland , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...

, by the

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Sebastian Brant. It is the most famous treatment of the ship of fools trope and circulated in numerous translations.

Overview

Ship of Fools was published in 1494 in

, by Sebastian Brant. The book consists of a prologue, 112 brief satires, and an epilogue, all illustrated with woodcuts. Brant takes up the

ship of fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

trope, popular at the time, lashing with unsparing vigour the weaknesses and vices of his time. He conceives Saint Grobian, whom he imagines to be the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of vulgar and coarse people. The concept of foolishness was a frequently used trope in the pre-Reformation period to legitimise criticism, as also used by

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

in his ''

Praise of Folly ''In Praise of Folly'', also translated as ''The Praise of Folly'' ( la, Stultitiae Laus or ), is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in June 1511. Inspired by previous works of the Italian hum ...

'' and

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

in his "" (''Address to the Christian Nobility''). Court fools were allowed to say much what they wanted; by writing his work in the voice of the fool, Brant could legitimise his criticism of the church. The work immediately became extremely popular, being published in

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; Swabian: ''Reitlenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has a population of 115,818. Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, Strasbourg and

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

with six authorized and several unauthorized editions until 1512. Brant's own views on

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and Agency (philosophy), agency of Human, human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical in ...

and the new, revolutionary views on Christianity emerging in the sixteenth century are unclear. The debate still continues whether the Ship of Fools is itself a humanist work or just a remnant of Medieval sensibilities. The book was translated into

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

by in 1497,Full 1498 edition o
Stultifera Navis
/ref> into French by in 1497 and by Jean Drouyn in 1498, into English by

Alexander Barclay Dr Alexander Barclay (c. 1476 – 10 June 1552) was a poet and clergyman of the Church of England, probably born in Scotland. Biography Barclay was born in about 1476. His place of birth is matter of dispute, but William Bulleyn, who w ...

and by Henry Watsonin

1509 __NOTOC__ Year 1509 ( MDIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 21 – The Portuguese first arrive at the Seven Islands of Bombay and ...

. Of the 103 woodcuts, two thirds are attributed to the young Albrecht Dürer and the additional wood-cuts are the work of the so-called , the gnad-her-Meister and two other anonymous artists. An allegorical painting by

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...

, The ''

Ship of Fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

'', a fragment of a triptych said to have been painted by Bosch between 1490 and 1500, may have been influenced by the frontispiece for the book. It is on display in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Modern interpretations

Some 20th-century artists including Art Hazelwood, ,

István Orosz István Orosz (born 24 October 1951) is a Hungarian painter, printmaker, graphic designer and animated film director. He is known for his mathematically inspired works, impossible objects, optical illusions, double-meaning images and anamorphos ...

, Richard Rappaport, Brian Williams made images based on "Das Narrenschiff", or drew illustrations for contemporary editions of ''The Ship of Fools''.

References

External links

"Narragonien digital"
Digital Edition of 11 European Prints and Adaptations of the ''Ship of Fools'' before 1500 (University of Würzburg)
"Narragonia Latina"
Hybrid edition of the Latin 'Ships of Fools' by Jakob Locher (1497) and Jodocus Badius (1505) with German translation and commentary (DFG project, 2021-2024, Univ. Würzburg).

* ttp://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/Mar2002.html ''Ship of Fools'' online exhibit, English adaptation, 1509from the Glasgow University
''Ship of Fools'' illustrations by István Orosz; unavailable 23 Oct. 2017.
{{Authority control 1494 books Satirical books Culture in Basel Fictional ships German-language books German literature of the Late Middle Ages Works about ships