Cornelis Cort – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The invention of the engraving on sheet; Cornelis Cort engraving by Stradanus drawing for New discovered , series of prints dedicated to new inventions.

Cornelis Cort (Hoorn or Edam, around 1533 – Roma, around March 17, 1578) was a Dutch rectoror of the Renaissance, famous for his collaboration with Tiziano. His last twelve years of life passed in Italy, where he reproduced works by multiple artists and was nicknamed « Fiammingo Cornelio »( Cornelio el Flamenco ). Its recorded production is around 150 images.

Life and work [ To edit ]

He was born around 1533 in Hoorn, Dutch territory then under dominance of the crown of Spain. Other sources believe that he was born in another town in the area: EDAM.

Cort’s first engravings appeared in Antwerp around 1553. It is stated that it was formed with the HariOnymus Cock recorder in that city (1552-53), and years later he made plates for him to publish them. It is believed that it was previously formed in Haarlem with another recorder, Dirck Coornhert, master of Hendrick Goltzius, but there are no conclusive data. Among the artists whose designs copied in these years, are Michel Coxcie, Frans Floris, Martin Van Heemskerck and Bartholomeus Spranger. To a book of biographies that would be published in 1572, Cort recorded effigies of various painters, being those of El Bosco and Rogier van der Weyden the most widespread. Even reproduced the famous Descent Van Der Weyden now at the Prado Museum, but was surely based on the copy painted by Michel Coxcie, which replaced the original box in Leuven.

In 1565 Cornelis Cort was already in Italy. In 1565-66 he worked so closely with Tiziano that the painter housed him at his home. At the initiative of Tiziano, Cort recorded a dozen his paintings, for which the painter asked for a privilege Valid edition for fifteen years.

Among the designs of Tiziano he recorded, are The penitent madgalena (Table of which there are several versions, such as the Ermitage and the Capodimonte Museum), the Prometheus devoured by the eagle now in the Prado Museum (which actually represents Ticio), The glory of the same museum and the couple of mythological paintings Diana and Calisto and Diana and Acteon (Recently acquired by the National Gallery of Scotland of Edinburgh and the National Gallery of London). After this first stage with Tiziano, Cort marched to Rome.

After a brief stage in Rome and Florencia, in 1570 Cort was back in Venice, where he recorded two more Tiziano cadres: the version of Tarquinio and Lucrecia from the Fitzwilliam de Cambridge, and The martyrdom of San Lorenzo . In this last image he merged distinctive details of the two versions painted by Tiziano, that of the Jesuits of Venice and that of the Monastery of El Escorial. For this engraving, Possibly Tiziano provided him with a small version or drawing, since Cort could not see the El Escorial picture, sent years before to Spain. A copy of this engraving, printed in Tafetán, was sent by Tiziano to Felipe II and is preserved in the bedroom of said monarch in El Escorial.

Cornelis Cort returned to Rome, where he continued reproducing compositions of Manierist painters. There he had disciples for future prestigious recorders such as Cherubino Alberti and Francesco Villamena. He died in the « Eternal City »In 1578.

In his twelve years of activity in Italy, he recorded not only Tiziano, but also works by Rafael Sanzio, Giulio Clovio, Federico Barocci, Girolamo Muziano and others.

  • El Bosco Portrait (h. 1565), recorded by Cort and published in a book of 1572.

  • The martyrdom of San Lorenzo , Cort engraving reproducing an original Tiziano.

  • Tick , engraving of Cornelis Cort (1566) according to the design of Tiziano (copy of the engraving preserved in the National Museum of Warsaw).

  • Lot and his daughters , Cornelis Cort engraving that reproduces a Frans Floris design.

external links [ To edit ]