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VIRORUM DOCTORUM BE DISCIPLINES
BENBMERENTXUM EFFIGIES (1567)*
36 engravings
No copy of this first edition of Galles portrait series has
been found yet. Its existence was first noted by Van
Someren who refers to an incomplete set of engravings
with an introduction (dated 1567) by Philips Galle in a
German private collection.Van Someren lists 31 portraits,
to which six more could be added until now. A title page
has not been found so far. According to Van Someren 19
Images were accompanied by verses, while 13 prints only
had the name of the portrayed person engraved in the
margin underneath. The 1567-series was, again accord­
ing to Van Someren s brief abstract of Galle s Introduction,
devoted to scholars and illustrious men who had become
famous due to 'sectarian quarrels*. Most of the scholars
and theologians portrayed were active in the sixteenth
century. Excluding some more outspoken reformers as
Hus, Savonarola and Calvin, nearly all belonged to the
moderate, humanist movement within both the Protestant
and Catholic churches.
The verses are in all cases different from the 1572- and
later editions and are also engraved in a completely dif­
ferent type of letter. In style and technique these letters
are very similar to those on Galles engravings with vers­
es by Hadrianus Junius, published in Haarlem between
1560 and 1570. The verses under the portrait of Junius -
using the Latin "me" several times - suggest that he might
have been the author of these verses himself. On the other
hand it may just have been a rhetoric figure of speech.
I-Iowever, taking the frequent collaboration between Galle
and Junius in this period in account it is certainly possi­
ble that Junius has been the author of several (or all?) vers­
es of the 1567-edition.
*> This tide Is a provisional title, taken by anal­
ogy to the I572~edition;this series of portraits - complete
or Incomplete - can perhaps be found in collections under
entirely different titles.
Lit.:
Van Someren 1888-91, vol. I, p. 122; SeOink 1992a, p. 23
Copies:
Trie Hague (Koninklijke Bibhotheek,Den Haag, 12 por­
traits from 1567-edition, bound with 1572b-edition),
Washington (Library of Congress, Washington, 10 por­
Appendix 2 A
221
traits from 1567-edition, bound with 1572- and 1587-
editions*), Washington (Library of Congress,
Washington, 11 portraits from 1567-edition, bound with
1572-edition*)
As the portraits from die reconstructed 1567-edition have
no number, the order of the scholars included is in the
first place alphabetical (I). The sequence in which Van
Someren examined the portraits in a bound volume of
the series is also given (Ha), followed by those engravings
which Van Someren did not mention as belonging the
1567-ediuon (lib). The portraits which have not been
traced in this edition, but which were mentioned as such
by Van Someren are marked with an asterisk.
I
Adrian VI
Agricoia, Rodoiphus
Alciati, Andrea*
Aventinus, Johannes
Beatus Rhenanus
Bembo, Pierro
Bueer, Martin
Bugenhagen, Johannes
Calvin, jean
Camerarius, Joachim
Erasmus, Desiderius
Fisher, John
Fusch, Gilbert*
Gelli, Gian Battista*
Grapheus, Cornelius*
Hosius, Stanislaus*
Hus,Johannes
Junius, Hadrianus
Laski,Jan
Lazlus, Wolfgang*
Luther, Martin
Macropedius, Georgius*
Marot, Clement*
Mattioll, Pierre Andrea*
Melanchton, Philippus
More, Thomas
Philandrier, Guillaume*
Pirekheirner, W'illibald*
Pius II*
Sartorius, Johannes*
Savonarola, Girolamo