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VIRORUM DOCTORUM DE DISCIPLINIS
BENEMERENTIUM EFFIGIES XOIII (1572)
44 engravings
in 1572 Philips Galle published a second series of 44
famous men, this rime devoted to European humanists
and scholars In general. The verses were written by the
Spanish humanist Benito Arias Montano, a friend of Galle
and then living and working in Antwerp; the verses under
the image of Arias Montano himself were composed by
Hadnanus Junius. Two versions of this series were pub­
lished, a first (1572a-edition) with all the verses printed
In letterpress - probably printed by Christophe Plantin -
and a second (1572b-edition) with (nearly) identical vers­
es engraved In the margin underneath the portraits.
Galle reused at least 25 portraits of his 1567-
series, all of them with new verses. In several engravings
of the 1572a-edition traces of the older inscriptions are
still visible.When printing the 1572a-edition Philips Galle
did not erase the existing inscriptions but covered them
with a piece of paper. He could then use the blank space
underneath the image to print the texts In letterpress in
a second printing at the Plantin press. At a later date - pos­
sibly at the occasion of publishing of the 1587-edition -
all the margins were made blank in order to engrave the
same verses and print the 1572b-edition.
1572a
On the recto of the title page an alphabetical table of con­
tents Is printed in letterpress: "NOMINUM HOC
LIBELLO/ DEPICTORUM/ Index./ underneath
the index is the approbatio by the Antwerp canon
Sebasnanus Baer (Delft ?? - Antwerp 1576/77), also in let­
terpress: "Nihil habet S. Romanae Ecclesiae fidei contra-
/ rium aut, Reipub. offensivum. Quod attestor/
Sebasnanus Baer Delphius, insignis Ca-/ thed. Ecclesiae
S.Marlae Hantwerp./ Plebanus et Canonicus."(five lines).
The tide page (page Al) Is followed by page A2, which
has an introduction in letterpress on both sides, written
by Philips Galle:
"PHILIPPUS GALLAEUS PICTOR ET
CHALCOGRAPHUS/ B ON ARUM ARTIUM AMA-
TORIBUS, SJ Qukurnque bonas disciplinas et ingen­
uas arces Ipsarum tan-/ turn causa diligunt, ij cum avari-
tiam oderint, quae et ingenia/ hominum corrumpit et
artes etiani obscurat, ab omni inviden/ tla prorsus alieni,
singularique erga virtutem afFectu ducn, non/ possunt
Appendix 2 B
223
non amare eos, quos exceilens animi virtus aliqua no-/
bilitaverit. Quam quidem ob rem, cum ipse a pueritia
usque/ naturae quadam propensione Picturae artem, et
earn etiam, qua Pictura longe la-/ teque propagatur,
Chalchographicen, coluerim et exercuerim; non solum
mearum/ artium peritissimos omnes amavi, sed quos-
cunque bonarum literarum disciplina-/ rumque eogni-
tione plurimum valere cognoveram, et praesentes (si mihi
eosdem/ videre aut ailoqui contingeret) vehementer
dilexi et colui, vel absentes, aut vita/ etiam functos ammo
venetatus sum semper, omniumque laudes et praedlcare
li-/ benter audio, et ipse quantum in me est, perpetuo
praedico. Dignos enim iudi-/ co omnes, qui aliquam vitae
utilitatem, praesertim in bonis artibus promovendis/
attulerint, quorum nomen ab ijs qui ingenio valent, et
similium artium studio/ tenentur, gratissima commenda-
tione commemoretur. Haec igitur mihi causa/ fuit,
quamobrem nonnullorum in bonis artibus illustrium viro­
rum, qui nostra/ aetate vel paulo ante floruerunt,vei adhuc
cum multa ingenij et eruditionis lau-/ de vivunt,tum mini
notorum, et quibus cum consuetude aliqua intercessit,
effi-/ gies ad vivum expresserim, turn eorum quos non-
dum viderkn ex optimis et cer-/ tissimis exemplaribus
undique conqulsitis depictas In prívalo cubículo, ubi
artem/ exerceo meam, maximi ornamenti nomine collo-
caverim.Verumenimvero cum/ illorum famae colendae,
atque eorundem armcls, cognatis, studiosis, et concivibus/
iuvandis id a me quod praestari posset, deberi intelligerem,
selectissimas et cer-/ tissimas, quas habere potueram, in
aere Incisas et diligenter expressas, cum meae/ atque
aliarum bonarum artium amatoribus communicare con­
stituí. Equidem/ plures habere percuperem, quibus et ipse
delectarer, et ad publicam noticiam/ exprimendis et
exhibendis operam darem. Sed quondam quasdam nactus
fue-/ ram non usque adeo veram virorum referentes for-
mam, et incena pro certis tra-/ dere,neque ingenui animi,
neque mei Institui esse existimaren!, has in praesentia-/
rum, quibus animum studiumque nostrum testaremur,
exhibendas duximus:plu/ res etiam post hac secundo libro
exhibituri, modo boni studiosique viri, aut Civi/ tatum
Magistratus, apud quos huiusmodi doctorum virorum
effigies ad nominis/ rnonumentum depictae habentur,
exempfum aliquod a perito arris pictore exprés-/ sum,
sive cum coloribus, sive ex nigro et albo tantum, perinde
enim nobis fuerit:/ aut si sculptum habeant, vel m numis-
matis formam relatum, nobis tradendum/ hue Antverpiain
mittant ad Christophorum Plantinum Prototypographum
Re-/ gium, aut ad Abrahamum Ortelium Geographum,
viros nonssimos: a quibus ipse/ reddita huiusmodi exem-