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1935.7
Theodor de Bry (French, 1528-1598) Invita
Nil Proficies, Discesve Minerva
1569
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| Theodor
de Bry (also called Dietrich Brey or Dittert Bry) was born in Liege in
1528, but moved from the predominantly Catholic country of Flanders to
Germany where he spent the majority of his life. He lived in Strasbourg
from 1570 to 1586, and then moved to England for the next three years,
before returning to Germany, this time settling in Frankfurt from 1589
until his death in 1598.
Besides being a printmaker, Theodor de Bry worked as a goldsmith and a publisher. Little is known about Theodor de Bry's life, and even less is known about his prints. His best known engravings dealt with the New World. When expeditions traveled to the New World they often brought along an artist who would paint representations of the landscape and its inhabitants. Upon their return to Europe Theodor de Bry was many times called upon to make prints of these paintings which were then published and sold throughout Europe. De Bry also did many portraits and was an influence on Anthony van Dyck's Iconography. Toward the end of his life he worked on many emblem books. Emblems were a way of describing a moral adage, as they always included both the saying and an illustration. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries emblem books were at the height of their popularity. The engraving You Will Learn Nothing Unwillingly is clearly an emblem saying that in order to learn anything it will take effort and self-motivation. In the engraving we can see a large group of people who appear to be doing everything but trying to learn. It is warning us not to be like these people. De Bry seems to have been influenced a great deal by the Flemish master Pieter Bruegel whose profiled figures look similar to de Bry's. Bruegel also executed a painting entitled Netherlandish Proverbs which includes illustrations of approximately 100 common sayings from this time period, and which may have influence de Bry's work.
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