MASTERPIECE

De Vos made this drawing as a compositional sketch for a print that was produced in 1579. The print is not an exact copy of the drawing, but it largely follows the scheme of the composition. The production of prints usually involved teamwork by several people. That is also the case here. We can read that at the bottom of the print, where the division of labour has been added. Thus, “M. d. Vos Invent” indicates that Maerten de Vos designed the composition. “Johannes Sadeler fecit et excudit” identifies Jan Sadeler I as the publisher of the print. Finally, the inscription “Cum privilegio regis” refers to the royal permission granted to publish the print: a kind of copyright.