Cornelis Bos
Encyclopedia
Cornelis [Willem] Bos was a Flemish engraver, printseller and book publisher, through whose images after paintings and reproducing ancient Roman sculptures, like the Laocoön
, classic works were put in the visual repertory of Northern European artists. His work is often signed with the monogram
C-B.
Cornelis was born at 's Hertogenbosch, whence his surname Bos is derived, but on 1 April 1541 he was enregistered as a citizen of Antwerp, where he was therefore already established as a member of the imagemakers' Guild of Saint Luke. His earliest identified engravings (1537) reproduce Maarten van Heemskerck's Prudence and Justice (1537). and a work by Agostino Veneziano
. His re-engraving of work by Marcantonio Raimondi
does not necessarily indicate that he ever made a trip to Rome. Until 1544 Bos worked in Antwerp as an engraver, commissioned by publishers in the city's extensive book trade for illustrations in books. His engravings, copied from the published engravings in Italian editions, served as illustrations for a brief summary in Dutch of the treaty on architecture by Vitruvius
and for a Dutch translation of Book IV of Sebastiano Serlio
's architectural treatise, both published by Pieter Coecke van Aelst. Bos' engravings illustrate a text on anatomy that he produced in 1542 by the printer and publisher Antoine de Goys.
In the summer of 1544 Bos was forced to flee Antwerp for his participation in an antisacerdotalist free-thinking spiritualist sect and was declared exiled by the Council of Brabant in his absence. It appears that he went to Paris
, where an anatomical work published by Jérôme de Gourmont in 1545 repeats text used by Cornelis Bos and even makes use of the woodblocks formerly in his possession. A decorative patternbook also published by Jérôme de Gourmont, Livre de moresques was a pirated edition of a work published in Antwerp by Bos, c published at Paris, 1546; it served designers of mannerist scrollwork
(bandelwerk) in the Low Countries. Between 1546 and 1548, from his secure refuge in Nuremberg
, Cornelis Bos would publish more than a hundred engraved designs of strapwork
and grotesque
s. Bos also produced popular engravings of religious and allegorical subjects, often dependent for their composition upon the Kleinmeister of Nuremberg, with many parallels in the output of Virgil Solis
.
Bos went to Groningen, where he sold paper to the city magistrate 2 December 1548. He was granted citizenship in 1550. His first wife Lijnken van Dort
or van den Bos, with whom he had five children, was deceased by then and he remarried Alijdt, who came from a local family. The couple had two children. A document of 7 Mai 1555 refers to him as deceased. An inventory of his workshop and other possessions, taken 3 August 1544, which included two printing presses, and the auction of his property 3 January 1545, have been mined by historians of printmaking
.
Laocoön and his Sons
The statue of Laocoön and His Sons , also called the Laocoön Group, is a monumental sculpture in marble now in the Vatican Museums, Rome. The statue is attributed by the Roman author Pliny the Elder to three sculptors from the island of Rhodes: Agesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus...
, classic works were put in the visual repertory of Northern European artists. His work is often signed with the monogram
Monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
C-B.
Cornelis was born at 's Hertogenbosch, whence his surname Bos is derived, but on 1 April 1541 he was enregistered as a citizen of Antwerp, where he was therefore already established as a member of the imagemakers' Guild of Saint Luke. His earliest identified engravings (1537) reproduce Maarten van Heemskerck's Prudence and Justice (1537). and a work by Agostino Veneziano
Agostino Veneziano
Agostino Veneziano, whose real name was Agostino de' Musi, was an important and prolific Italian engraver of the Renaissance.-Life:...
. His re-engraving of work by Marcantonio Raimondi
Marcantonio Raimondi
Marcantonio Raimondi, also simply Marcantonio, was an Italian engraver, known for being the first important printmaker whose body of work consists mainly of prints copying paintings. He is therefore a key figure in the rise of the reproductive print...
does not necessarily indicate that he ever made a trip to Rome. Until 1544 Bos worked in Antwerp as an engraver, commissioned by publishers in the city's extensive book trade for illustrations in books. His engravings, copied from the published engravings in Italian editions, served as illustrations for a brief summary in Dutch of the treaty on architecture by Vitruvius
Vitruvius
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He is best known as the author of the multi-volume work De Architectura ....
and for a Dutch translation of Book IV of Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio
Sebastiano Serlio was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau...
's architectural treatise, both published by Pieter Coecke van Aelst. Bos' engravings illustrate a text on anatomy that he produced in 1542 by the printer and publisher Antoine de Goys.
In the summer of 1544 Bos was forced to flee Antwerp for his participation in an antisacerdotalist free-thinking spiritualist sect and was declared exiled by the Council of Brabant in his absence. It appears that he went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where an anatomical work published by Jérôme de Gourmont in 1545 repeats text used by Cornelis Bos and even makes use of the woodblocks formerly in his possession. A decorative patternbook also published by Jérôme de Gourmont, Livre de moresques was a pirated edition of a work published in Antwerp by Bos, c published at Paris, 1546; it served designers of mannerist scrollwork
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
(bandelwerk) in the Low Countries. Between 1546 and 1548, from his secure refuge in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, Cornelis Bos would publish more than a hundred engraved designs of strapwork
Strapwork
In the history of art and design, the term strapwork refers to a stylised representation in ornament of strips or bands of curling leather, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings and often interwoven...
and grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
s. Bos also produced popular engravings of religious and allegorical subjects, often dependent for their composition upon the Kleinmeister of Nuremberg, with many parallels in the output of Virgil Solis
Virgil Solis
Virgil Solis or Virgilius Solis , a member of a prolific family of artists, was a German draughtsman and printmaker in engraving, etching and woodcut who worked in Nuremberg. His prints were sold separately or formed the illustrations of books; many prints signed by him are probably by assistants...
.
Bos went to Groningen, where he sold paper to the city magistrate 2 December 1548. He was granted citizenship in 1550. His first wife Lijnken van Dort
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
or van den Bos, with whom he had five children, was deceased by then and he remarried Alijdt, who came from a local family. The couple had two children. A document of 7 Mai 1555 refers to him as deceased. An inventory of his workshop and other possessions, taken 3 August 1544, which included two printing presses, and the auction of his property 3 January 1545, have been mined by historians of printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
.