Pieter Coecke van Aelst (The 1572 Pictorum)

engraving of Pieter Coecke van Aelst

Engraving
Inscribed IH.W., attributed to Johannes Wierix, 1572. 

Transcription of Inscription [Lampsonius]:

PETRO COECKE. ALOSTANO, PICTORI.
Pictor eras nec eras tantûm, Petre, pictor ; Alostum
     Qui facis hac Orbi notius arte tuum :
Multa sed accessit multo ars tibi parta labore,
     Cuius opus pulchras aedificare domos.
Serlius hanc Italos ; tu, Serli deinde bilinguis
     Interpres, Belgas, Francigenasque doces.

Translation of Inscription [Lampsonius]:

To Pieter Coecke van Aelst, painter. 
You were a painter, but, Pieter, you were not only a painter, you who made your Aelst1 more known to the world by this skill.  But there was much skill in addition, born to you by much labour.  Its office was to build beautiful houses. Serlio taught this to the Italians, then you, bilingual interpreter of Serlio, taught the Belgians and the French.

Footnotes:

  1. This town’s name seems now to be spelt “Aalst” (French: “Alost”).