Bibliotheca chalcographica
The Bibliotheca chalcographica is a portrait gallery with initially 100 and finally 438 copper engravings and biographies of humanists and reformers and a joint work of the humanist, antique collector and Latin poet Jean-Jacques Boissard (1528–1602) and the engraver and publisher Theodor de Bry (1528–1598 ).
origin
The collection of 438 scholarly portraits expresses the self-image of humanists and reformers in a characteristic way:
“One of its roots is the late medieval donor portrait, which served liturgical memory, and the related grave monument. The German "archhumanist" Konrad Celtis (1459–1508) first (with the help of the artist Hans Burgkmair, 1473–1531) created a location-independent, reproduced memory image in the medium of the woodcut, which was distributed to his large circle of friends after his death. In contrast to many portraits of the donors, in which the name added was sufficient to determine the identity of the person depicted without requiring physiognomic similarity, the Burgkmair portrait of Celtis captures his individual facial features. At the same time, the added words indicate that the spirit and character of what is depicted can be better recognized in his imperishable works than in his ephemeral appearance. "
Experts give several reasons for the strong interest of the contemporary public in the biographies and life-like portraits of humanists and reformers:
“The scholars stepped out more and more from the association of corporations (the religious orders and universities) and gained an individual profile. They communicated with one another through handwritten and printed letters and frequent face-to-face meetings, and cultivated friendships that were confirmed through the exchange of images and other memorials. After all, as authors widely used in print and as advisers to princes and cities in spiritual and secular matters, they were the subject of widespread interest which could easily be satisfied by the techniques of letterpress, woodcut and copperplate engraving. "
Emergence
The young humanist Jean-Jacques Boissard (1528–1602) from Besançon had on his travels with his uncle, the humanist and private teacher of young noblemen Hugues Babet (Hugo Babelus, 1474–1556) and during several years of study in Italy, many scholars inside and outside the Got to know universities personally and portrayed them personally. He teamed up with the well-traveled Calvinist engraver and publisher Theodor de Bry (1528–1598), who had meanwhile settled in Frankfurt and who converted Boissard's drawings into high-quality copperplate engravings. Together with the biographies written by Boissard, 100 scholarly vitae appeared in two parts, each with 50 copper engraved portraits 1597–1598 under the title “Icones virorum illustrium doctrina et eruditione praestantium ad vivum effictae cum eorum vitis” .
After the father's death in 1598, the sons Johann Theodor de Bry (1561–1623) and Johann Israel de Bry (before 1570–1611) expanded the work from 1598–1599 by 2 times 50 portraits (parts 3 and 4). The texts for this were written by the Frankfurt writer Johann Adam Lonicer . Part 5 later reproduced Parts 1 through 4 with about 40 new portraits. The brothers de Bry Sebastian Furck (approx. 1600–1655) followed as engraver , who contributed part 6 with 50 portraits in 1628.
As an engraver and publisher, Klemens Ammon continued the series in the Bibliotheca Chalcographica from 1645 to 1652, half a century after the first publication , with parts 7 and 8 and 1664 part 9. The Dutch engraver Mathias van Somer was involved in Part 9 as well as another artist who signed “Heim F” (probably Wilhelm C. Heim).
By 1664 the portrait gallery in book form had grown to 9 parts with a total of 438 portraits. The complete edition, made available online by the portal Mateo of the University of Mannheim, followed in 1669, which also contains the remaining editions of the 8th and 9th parts of 1652 and 1664. The biographies of the earlier parts were unfortunately no longer adopted. Thus Boissard's original scholarly vitae has become a collection of copper engraved portraits of Theodor de Bry and his successors. This phenomenon is not new, however, because many illustrated books from the 16th and 17th centuries now focus on the valuable copper engravings from that time.
selection
The Reformed worldview of the creators of the Bibliotheca Chalcographica is evident in the selection of the people portrayed. However, they were not limited to members of their denomination and, in addition to the vast majority of contemporary scholars of the 16th and 17th centuries, also included some from the 13th to 15th centuries. Of course, templates had to be available; in this respect a determining factor. Some popes are considered as learned writers, as well as princes and scholars who Boissard had met and drawn during his time as a private tutor.
Whether or not the people looked like their portraits was an important question back then, which was confirmed by the phrase “ad vivum effictae” where applicable . Experts also consider this to be likely for people from the 16th and 17th centuries, although it should be borne in mind that the transposition of the drawing / oil painting into the copperplate engraving (reversed trimming) could bring about some changes in detail and in the overall impression.
quality
With regard to the artistic quality of the portraits, a distinction is made between the earlier parts, which, thanks to Boissard's drawings and other good models, as well as the skill of the engravers de Bry, generally achieve a high level (the flower of portraits in the 16th and early 17th centuries) and the later parts, which also contain numerous portraits of lesser quality. The decline in quality is attributed less to the active engravers than to the hardships of the Thirty Years' War.
structure
The order of the portraits in the Bibliotheca Chalcographica is unsystematic and only partially recognizable as groups. Forms of name, occupation and status were taken from various sources and not consistently standardized.
literature
- Jean-Jacques Boissard and Theodor de Bry: Bibliotheca chalcographica , hoc est Virtute et eruditione clarorum Virorum Imagines. Heidelberg: Clemens Ammon, 1669. Partes 1–5: 1669.- Pars 6: Frankfurt a. M .: Johann Ammon, undated - Pars 7: Frankfurt a. M .: Clemens Ammon, 1669.- Pars 8: Frankfurt a. M .: Johann Ammon, 1652.- Pars 9: Heidelberg: Johann Ammon, 1664. 4 ° [1] Online provided by the portal MATEO ( MA nnheimer TE xte O nline) of the University of Mannheim
Web links
- Digitized at the University of Mannheim
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c History of Classical Scholarship, 2nd volume in English
- ↑ The Meteo portal summarizes parts 1 to 5 in the lists of figures, the copperplate engravings of which can therefore be assigned to a member of the de Bry family (Theodor, Johann Theodor or Johann Israel) (important because of style, time and quality)
- ↑ here referred to as the son-in-law of Johann Theodor de Bry, which was probably not him, but his father
- ^ Stanford University Library Directory
- ↑ a b c d e see description on Portal Mateo