Mercury with the Head of Argus in His Hand

Hieronymus Cock was a Southern Netherlandish printmaker and publisher who founded one of the most influential print workshops in sixteenth-century Antwerp. He produced engravings and etchings after works by contemporary and historical masters, establishing the reproductive print as a commercial and artistic enterprise. His workshop disseminated Italian Renaissance compositions across Northern Europe, making him a crucial conduit between Italian and Flemish artistic traditions. Cock also commissioned original designs from artists including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, whose prints he published and distributed throughout his career.

Antwerp