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IXXUSTRIUM GA1XIAE BELGICAE 8CRIPTO-
RUM ICONES ET ELOGI (1604)
58 engravings
In 1604 Philips Galle published a fourth series of por­
traits. This publication focused exclusively on Dutch and
Flemish scholars, to a large extent illustrating Aubert Le
Mire's Ehgia Ulustrium Belgii scriptorum published in
Antwerp 1602. Galle reused 17 portraits from his earlier
series: 11 from the 1572-edition (of which five had orig­
inally been engraved for the 15&7-edidon), five from the
1587-edltions and the second version ofTorrentius* por­
trait from the 1595-edition. In some cases the earlier vers­
es were maintained, in other cases they were replaced by
new inscriptions. Besides Le Mire's verses, poems by sev­
eral other Flemish authors were used for specific portraits.
All the earlier engravings were Included in new states, as
at the top of every portrait the age and the year of death
were added.
The verso of die tide page Is blank. On the recto of the
next sheet is an introduction to the book, set in letter­
press and most probably written by Aubert Le Mire:
"CANDIDO LECTORI,/ SEU SPECTATORI S./
Illustrium GaUIae Belgicae nostrae Scriptorum Elo / gia
nuper dedi, mi Lector seu Spectator. Quern com-/ turn
nostrum et si levern ac temiem, cum permultis/ gratum
esse anima adverterern, coepi et Imagines eo-/ rumdem
variis e locis studiose fideliterque conquirere. Eius in-/
dustriae specimen hie vides; quae, nisi fallor, Optimo cuiv-
is gra-/ ta erit pariter acceptaque. AfHcit enim excitatque
rnlrI6.ce/ amnios, oculosque pascit atque oblectat, vivas
eorum effigies,/ quorum scripta atque ingenij monu-
menta legendo admiramur,/ velut in theatro seu pegmate,
longo ordine positas, coram intue-/ ri. Romanorum sane
vetus institutum fuit, bene de Repub. me-/ ritorum imag­
ines in templis dedicare; Imperatornm strenuo-/ rumque
Ducum icones, inter signa, militibus praeferre; ceratas/
maiorum effigies longa serie in atriis collocare. Niminim
ut his/ velut ealcaribus ad virtutis avitae aemulationem
compelleren-/ tur. Sic et eruditorum hominum Imagines
istae, in aes cura no-/ stra msculptae, non delectabunt
modo, sed ad imkandum quo-/ que, ut spero, in suo
quemque genere, vehementer inflamma-/ bunt. Ceterum
non aetatis ordinem secuti sumus, sed faculta-/ turn seu
disciplmarum. Inibi et digmtatum ratio aliqua est ha-/
bita, et similes. Quo ad ems fieri potuit, velut in satura,
fere con-/ iunximus.Vale } et aequi bom consule."
Appendix 2 D
231
"Greetings to the sincere reader or viewer
Dear reader or viewer, not so long ago I have edited eulo­
gies of illustrious authors of our Netherlands. Since I
noticed that this undertaking of mine, trivial and insignif­
icant as it may be, gave satisfaction to a large number of
people, I also assiduously and conscientiously started to
collect their images from a variety of sources. Here you
can see the results of this activity. If I am not mistaken,
this will be just as pleasing and rewarding to aU outstand­
ing men. For It affects and excites the mind to the utmost,
and it entertains and delights die eyes to see the lifelike
portraits of those men whose writings and monuments
of their talent we admire when reading, their features
placed in a long series, like in a theatre or on the stage.
The Romans indeed had the custom to ded­
icate images of those who had been of use to the state in
their sanctuaries, to carry the portraits of the comman­
ders-in-chief among the banners In front of the soldiers,
and to place waxen portraits of their forefathers together
In long rows in their atrium. Of course these were brought
together as stimuli to improve on the ancestral virtue.
Similarly these images of learned men,
engraved In copper with all our care, will not only delight,
but will also to a large extent inspire, as i hope, to imitate
everyone in his own domain. Besides, we have not fol­
lowed a chronological order, but a division regarding die
skills and disciplines. Whatever has been possible in this
respect, we have usually united like In a miscellany
Farewell, and judge fair and just." (translated from the
Latin by Jan Bloemendal)
On the verso of this page follow a table of contents and
the approbatio by the Antwerp canon Egbert van Spidiout
(Zutphen ?? - Antwerp 1627), all set in letterpress; "Vidit,
et laudavit Egbertus Spitholdius Canonicus et Plebanus/
Antverplensis 21.maj,Anno 1604." (two lines).Then fol­
low 52 numbered portraits. The portraits were engraved
In the Galle workshop, an identification of the engraver(s)
has not been possible.
In 1608 Galle's son Theodoor published a revised and
enlarged edition of the Blustrium scriptorum icones, dedi­
cated to Albert of Austria, viceroy of the Southern
Netherlands. Six portraits were added:Thomas a Kempis,
Gilbert Fusch (first used in the 1567-edirion) sjoost Lips,
Christophe Plantin (not the 1572-version by Philips
Galle, but an engraving by Hendrick Goltzius), Marrinus
Rythovius and Petrus Simons. In most cases the remain-