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Pictorum Aliquot Celebrium Germaniae Inferioris Effigies

• Object type

  • print
  • frontispiece

• Museum number

  1925,1117.120

• Title (series)

  • Pictorum Aliquot Celebrium Germaniae Inferioris Effigies

• Description

  Frontispiece to the Pictorum Aliquot Celebrium Germaniae Inferioris Effigies; with ornamental border. 1572
  Engraving

• Producer name

  • Published by: Hieronymus Cock (widow)
  • Published by: Volcxken Diericx

• School/style

  • Netherlandish

• Date

  • 1572

• Production place

  • Published in: Antwerp
  • (Europe,Belgium,Flemish Region,Antwerp (province),Antwerp (city))

• Materials

  • paper

• Technique

  • letterpress
  • engraving

• Dimensions

  • Height: 190 millimetres
  • Width: 126 millimetres

• Inscriptions

  • • Inscription Content

      Lettered within ornamental border with title: "PICTORVM aliqvot celebrivm germaniae inferioris effigies" and:"Eorum nempe qui ... nomen sibi comparunt" and "Vna cum doctiff ... atis pertisimi Elogiis"; and lettered with production details in lower middle: "ANVERPIAE Apud Viduam Hieronymi Cock, CIC IC LXXII"

• Curator's comments

  This is the frontispiece to a print series containing twenty-three portraits of painters from the Low Countries 'Pictorum Aliquot Celebrium Germaniae Inferioris Effigies', firstly published in 1572 by the widow of Hieronymus Cock who died in 1570. Cock's portrait is added at the end as a posthumous tribute; the twenty-two portrayed artists have all died before him. The frontispiece is followed by a page with Latin phrases introducing and explaining the content of the series, composed by Dominicus Lampsonius who also wrote the Latin verses accompanying each portrait.
  The first two editions were published in 1572 by the widow of Cock in Antwerp (the first edition accompanied by Latin verses in letterpress, the second edition by the same text but engraved), the third edition by Theodoor Galle in Antwerp after 1600 (with address 'Theod. Galle excud.'); and the fourth by D. and T. Brown in London in 1694 (numbered before artist's name). For a complete set of the first edition, see 1925,1117.120-143 (shelfmark 157*.a.26).

  The plates are engraved by three printmakers: Johannes Wierix, Cornelis Cort and an unidentified engraver. Eight engravings bear the IHW monogram (1925,1117.129, 1925,1117.131, 1925,1117.135-136 and 1925,1117.140-143; Hollstein 2023-2035), most widely accepted as being from Johannes Wierix according to Hollstein, although some scholars believe it to be from Hieronymus Wierix. One print (1925,1117.138) bears the IW monogram, which is believed also to be from Johannes Wierix. Fifteen engravings are not monogrammed, four of which are attributed to Johannes Wierix, based on texturing and chiaroscuro (1925,1117.133-134, 1925,1117.137 and 1925,1117.139). Another five of the prints are attributed to Cornelis Cort, whose authorship is mentioned in the text below the portrait of Joachim Patinir (1925,1117.138). The other prints attributed to Cort are the portraits of Jeroen Bosch (1925,1117.123), Rogier van der Weyden (1925,1117.124), Barend van Orley (1925,1117.126) and Dirk Bouts (1925,1117.125). The printmaker responsible for the portraits of Hubert van Eyck (1925,1117.121), Jan van Eyck (1925,1117.122), Joost van Cleve (1925,1117.132), Matthias Cock (1925,1117.133) and Henri met de Bles (1925,1117.134) remains unidentified.
  This series was copied by Hendrik Hondius around 1610; for comment on the series, see E,2.95.

  Literature: Joris van Grieken, in J. van Grieken - G. Luijten - J. van der Stock, "Hieronymus Cock: The Renaissance in Print", exh.cat. Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels and Fondation Custodia in Paris, New Haven and London, 2013, cat.nos.5 and 73.

  For the portraits depicting the artists in their profession, see Jan Piet Filedt Kok, ''De vroegst gegraveerde schildersportretten uit 1572" in C. Dumas (ed.), "Face Book: Studies on Dutch and Flemish Portraiture of the 16th-18th Centuries. Liber Amicorum presented to Rudolf E.O. Ekkart on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday", Leiden, 2012, pp.67-74.

  This series is bound in a volume with works by Suavius, works after Lombard, Floris and Michael Coxcie and works by Galle and Collaert, see 157*.a.26 (1925,1117. 19-159). For comment on the volume see 1925,1117.19.

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• Bibliography

  • Hollstein 2023-2035 (Wierix; cf.)
  • Riggs 1977 269

• Location

  Not on display (157*.a.26)

• Associated names

  • Associated with: Dominicus Lampsonius (author of Latin verses)

• Acquisition name

  • Purchased from: E P Goldschmidt Ltd
  • Previous owner/ex-collection: Percival Willughby of Nottingham
  • Previous owner/ex-collection: Thomas Willughby

• Acquisition date

  1925

• Acquisition notes

  for comment see 1925,1117.19

• Department

  Prints & Drawings

• Registration number

  1925,1117.120