Besides being a painter, Maarten de Vos (1532-1603) was the most prolific and influential print designer of his generation. This was the reason to catalogue the prints after his design, as has been done with Maarten van Heemskerck in The New Hollstein. Nagler, the only author to draw up a list of selected prints after designs by De Vos, arrived at a total of approximately 600. The present catalogue demonstrates that the oeuvre consists of 1600 original prints. In this respect De Vos can justifiably be called the precursor of Rubens. De Vos 's output is truly encyclopedic, ranging from Old and New Testament scenes, to the popular allegories of Elements, Planets, Continents and Seasons. The European impact of these prints is attested by some 800 copies by Netherlandish and foreign artists and publishers. The function of this oeuvre as a source of visual models to acclaimed artists as Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck has been recognized, but this catalogue may prove instrumental to many new discoveries in this respect.
Compiler: Christiaan Schuckman Editor: Dieuwke de Hoop Scheffer ISBN: 978-90-75607-03-1 264 pp.
