Problems and Practice in
the Printing and Illustration of Books in 16th- and
17th-Century Antwerp
Plantin-Moretus
Museum
Karen Bowen, Dirk Imhof, and Anne-Marie Logan
DImhof@antwerpen.be
This workshop consisted
of three presentations and a concluding examination
of the various prints, books, drawings, and plates
discussed. Karen Bowen began with a discussion of
the wages paid to engravers who worked for the Plantin-Moretus
Press c.1570 and c.1615, with special attention paid
to the case of the Wierix brothers. This issue is
significant because the production and printing of
engravings as book illustrations represented a significant
added cost and complication to the entire printing
process. Bowen demonstrated that the wages paid to
engravers varied from individual to individual (even
among engravers working on prints for the same publication),
where the differences may have reflected the relative
experience and fame of the artists concerned. Bowen
concluded by providing a sampling of book illustrations
and independent prints executed by the Wierix brothers
and argued that there was no significant difference
in quality between the original impressions from the
two sets of prints. Rather, that any bias that book
illustrations are generally of lesser quality is more
likely due to the very worn (later) states in which
scholars often see a particular book illustration
for the first time.
Dirk Imhof, curator
at the Plantin-Moretus Museum, then presented a few,
rare examples of authors' influence on the selection
and appearance of the illustrations contained in their
publications from c.1590-1600. Focusing on the example
of the Jesuit author Thomas Sailly, Imhof demonstrated
that while Sailly was concerned with the precise appearance
of some images (providing, for example, either sample
drawings or prints), in other cases, any 'devout'
image would do to satisfy popular demand. In the case
of an exceptional book of hours produced specially
for the Archdukes Albrecht and Isabelle, Imhof showed
examples of how 'censors' at their court in Brussels
'corrected' proofs of certain images and how these
corrections were incorporated in the final images.
Anne-Marie Logan then
examined some preliminary drawings for book illustrations.
Thanks to the rich holdings of the Plantin-Moretus
she was able to show examples by Bolswert and Rubens
that began with preliminary drawings, followed by
prints, and included even the original copper plates.
We all appreciated having her knowledgeable views
on the attribution and function of all of the works
considered. Finally, throughout the entire workshop,
both the speakers and the audience benefited from
a lively and interesting exchange of questions and
thoughts from all present. Our warm thanks to all
who came and made this such an enjoyable session.
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