Christophe Plantin ( nl, Christoffel Plantijn; – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book printer and publisher who resided and worked in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Life

A Plantin Press title page with compass vignette

Plantin was born in France, probably in

Saint-Avertin Saint-Avertin () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. History In the Gallo-Roman times, a hamlet called Vinciacum was set up near quarries where stones required for the building of Caesarodonum (Tours) were extracted. ...

, near the city of Tours, Touraine. He was not born to a wealthy family, and his mother died when Plantin was still quite young. As a youth he apprenticed as a bookbinder in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Normandy, and also married there. In 1545, he and his wife, Joanna Rivière, set up shop in Paris, but after three years they chose to relocate to the booming commercial center of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, where Plantin became a free citizen and a member of the Guild of St Luke, the guild responsible for painters, sculptors, engravers and printers. The quality of his work as a bookbinder brought him into contact with nobility and wealth. By 1549, he headed one of the most well-respected publishing houses in Europe. He was responsible for printing a wide range of titles, from Cicero to religious hymnals. While delivering a prestigious commission he was mistakenly attacked, receiving an arm wound that prevented him from labouring as a bookbinder and led him to concentrate on typography and printing. By 1555, he had his own print shop and was an accomplished printer. The first book he is known to have printed was ''La Institutione di una fanciulla nata nobilmente,'' by Giovanni Michele Bruto, with a French translation. This was soon followed by many other works in French and Latin, which in point of execution rivalled the best printing of his time. The art of engraving then flourished in the Netherlands, and Dutch engravers illustrated many of his editions. Antwerp was a dangerous place for publishers around this time. In 1561, the Spanish governor ordered a raid on Plantin's workshop for possibly housing heretical works and being a Protestant sympathizer. To avoid being jailed, Plantin quickly sold all of his works so nothing would be found in his possession. As soon as things calmed down around him, he bought them all back. In 1562, while Plantin was absent in Paris, his workmen printed a heretical pamphlet, which resulted in his presses and goods being seized and sold. It seems, however, that he eventually recovered much of the value that was taken from him. With the help of four Antwerp merchants he was able to re-establish and expand his printing business significantly. Among these friends were two grand-

nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

s of Daniel Bomberg, who furnished him with the fine Hebrew typefaces of that renowned

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

printer. This co-venture lasted only until 1567 however it enabled Plantin to acquire a house in the ''Hoogstraat'' which he named "De Gulden Passer" (The Golden Compasses). This gesture mirrors the commercial success of publishing emblem books, which present collections of images paired with short, often cryptic, text explanations. It is also at this time that Plantin adopted a printer's mark which would appear in various forms on the title pages of all

Plantin Press The Plantin Press at Antwerp was one of the focal centers of the fine printed book in the 16th century. History Christophe Plantin (c. 1520–1589) of Touraine was trained as a bookbinder. He fled from Paris where at least one printer had rece ...

books. The motto ''Labore et Constantia'' ("By Labor and Constancy") surrounds the symbol of a pair of compasses held by a hand extending from a bank of clouds and inscribing a circle. The center point of the compasses indicates constancy, the moving point which renders the circle is the labor. Plantin holds this instrument in portraits of him, such as the one commissioned from the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. In November 1576, the Spaniards plundered and burned Antwerp — essentially ending its supremacy as the commercial center and richest city of Europe — and Plantin had to pay an exorbitant ransom to protect his printing works. He established a branch of his firm in Paris. In 1583, the states of Holland sought a typographer for the newly erected university at Leiden. Plantin moved there after leaving his much reduced business in Antwerp to his sons-in-law John Moerentorf and

Frans van Ravelingen Frans van Ravelingen Latinized Franciscus Raphelengius (February 27, 1539 – July 20, 1597), was a Flemish-born scholar, printer and publisher, working in Antwerp and later in Leiden. During the last decade of his life he was professor of He ...

(Raphelengius). Plantin left his Leiden office to Raphelengius and returned to Antwerp after it became more settled, subsequent to its conquest by the prince of Parma in 1585. Plantin laboured in Antwerp until his death.

Printing work

Plantin was a prolific printer and prosperous entrepreneur, publishing more than 40 editions of emblem books. His most important work is considered to be the ''Biblia Regia'' (King's Bible), also known as the Plantin Polyglot. Facing increasing pressure and turmoil in the Netherlands, Plantin needed to find a patron that would not fall victim to claims of heresy or being a Protestant sympathizer. In spite of clerical opposition, Plantin was encouraged by King

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

, who sent him the learned Benito Arias Montano to lead the editorship. The Polyglot Bible has parallel texts in Latin, Greek, Syriac, Aramaic, and Hebrew. This venture for Plantin was very expensive, requiring him to mortgage his own business to pay for the production of this bible, in the hope that there would be a worthwhile payoff in the end. It took thirteen presses and fifty-three men to complete the task. Characters in each of the printed languages were required, with French type designer Claude Garamond providing the steel punches. With Montano's zealous help, the work was finished in four years (1568 - 1572). There were eight volumes in folio format, meaning only two pages could be printed at one time. This work earned Plantin little profit, but resulted in Philip's granting him the privilege of printing all Roman Catholic liturgical books (

missal A missal is a liturgical book containing instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the liturgical year. Versions differ across liturgical tradition, period, and purpose, with some missals intended to enable a pries ...

breviaries A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such as ...

, etc.) for the states ruled by Philip, the title "Architypographus Regii," which he dutifully added to the title pages of Plantin Press books, and the unwanted duty of ''prototypo-graphus regius,'' obligating him to inspect and verify the skill and dogmatic adherence of other printers. Besides the Plantin Polyglot, Plantin published many other works of note, such as the "Dictionarium Tetraglotton" of 1562, which was a dictionary in Greek, Latin, French and Flemish, editions of

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

and St. Jerome, the botanical works of Dodonaeus, Clusius and

Lobelius Mathias de l'Obel, Mathias de Lobel or Matthaeus Lobelius (1538 – 3 March 1616) was a Flemish people, Flemish physician and plant enthusiast who was born in Lille, Flanders, in what is now Hauts-de-France, France, and died at Highgate, Lon ...

, and the description of the Netherlands by Guicciardini. His editions of the Bible in Hebrew, Latin and Dutch, his ''Corpus juris,'' Latin and Greek classics, and many other works are renowned for their beautiful execution and accuracy. A skillful businessman, by 1575 his printing firm reckoned more than 20 presses and 73 workmen, plus various specialists who did job-work out of their homes. The vast collection of handwritten ledgers and letters of the Officina Plantiniana, as it was known, can be examined online following digitization by the Museum Plantin-Moretus and hosting by World Digital Library. Though outwardly a faithful member of the Catholic Church, he appears to have used his resources to support several sects of

heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

s, sometimes known as the Family of Love or Familists. It is now proven that many of their books, published without naming the printer, came from Plantin Press.

Legacy

After Plantin's death, his firm was taken over by his son-in-law,

Jan Moretus Jan Moretus, also John Moerentorf or Joannes Moretus (2 May 1543 – 22 September 1610), was a Flemish printer who was an apprentice for Christophe Plantin, married his daughter, and later inherited the printing business on his father-in-law ...

who ran his shop in Antwerp, and Francis van Ravelinghen who took over his shop in Leiden. Towards the end of the 17th century, the business began to decline. Plantin's works however, were meticulously preserved. Today, the building that housed the firm is called the

Plantin-Moretus Museum The Plantin-Moretus Museum ( nl, Plantin-Moretusmuseum) is a printing museum in Antwerp, Belgium which focuses on the work of the 16th-century printers Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus. It is located in their former residence and printing establ ...

. Moretus and his descendants continued to print many works of note ''in officina Plantiniana'', but the firm began to decline in the second half of the 17th century. It remained, however, in the possession of the Moretus family, which left everything in the office untouched, and when the city of Antwerp acquired (for 1.2 million francs) the old buildings with all their contents, the authorities created, with little trouble, the Musee Plantin, which opened on 19 August 1877. In 1968, the

Christophe Plantin Prize The Christophe Plantin Prize ('' French: Prix Christoffel Plantin''), is a Belgian civilian prize, intended to reward a Belgian citizen who resides abroad, who has made significant contributions to cultural, artistic or scientific activities. Nam ...

was created in his memory, given to a Belgian civilian who resides

abroad ''Abroad'' ( ar, الغربة) is a short film directed by Lebanese filmmaker Zayn Alexander. The film made its world premiere at the 33rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 2, 2018. The Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanes ...

, who has made significant contributions to

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

, artistic or scientific activities.

Family tree

The Plantin-Moretus family tree, including the heads of ''Officiana Plantiniana'', later known as

. Christophe Plantin (1520–1589) married Joanna Riviere; they had five daughters and a son. Christophe's daughters were described as learned in reading and writing, especially Greek and Latin. One teenage daughter is said to have helped proofread the ''Plantin Polygot''. *Margaretha Plantin married

Franciscus Raphelengius Frans van Ravelingen Latinized Franciscus Raphelengius (February 27, 1539 – July 20, 1597), was a Flemish-born scholar, printer and publisher, working in Antwerp and later in Leiden. During the last decade of his life he was professor of Heb ...

, who led the Leiden branch of the house. They stayed printers in Leiden for two more generations of Van Ravelinge, until 1619. A great-granddaughter of the last Van Ravelinge printer married in 1685 Jordaen Luchtmans, founder of what would become later the still existing

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 27 ...

. *Magdalen Plantin, who was reported to have aided her father in proofreading the ''Biblia Regia'' in five different languages. It is important to note that “it was said that she could correct the script perfectly accurately, but without understanding a word of it.” Magdalen would later marry her father's Paris agent. *

Martina Plantin Martina Plantin (1550–1616) was involved in her father's printing business from five years of age, and ran the family lace shop from the age of 17. After her father and husband had died, she was the head of the Plantin Press, Plantin-Moretus pr ...

, who with her sister, Catherine, helped run the family's silk shop by the age of seventeen. Martina and Catherine were efficient and well known in their silk handlings. Later, Martina married

(Johann Moerentorf) (1543–1610) in 1570; they had 10 children. After her husband's death, Martina was the head of the firm until her sons took over running the business. **

Balthasar I Moretus Balthasar Moretus or Balthasar I Moretus (23 July 1574 – 6 July 1641) was a Flemish printer and head of the Officina Plantiniana, the printing company established by his grandfather Christophe Plantin in Antwerp in 1555. He was the son of Marti ...

(1574–1641) **Jan II Moretus (1576–1618) married Maria De Sweert; they had 6 children ***Balthasar II Moretus (1615–1674) married

Anna Goos Anna Goos (1627–1691), was a printer and co-manager of ''Officina Plantiniana'' (now called Plantin Press) in Antwerp from 1674 to 1681. She prepared her son, Balthasar II Moretus, to run the business, during political and financially turbulent ...

; they had 12 children ****Balthazar III Moretus (1646–1696) married

Anna Maria de Neuf Anna Maria de Neuf (1654–1714), was a printer and manager of the Plantin Press in Antwerp, a leading publisher in Antwerp, from 1696 to 1714. Life Anna Maria de Neuf was born in Antwerp where she was baptized in the Cathedral on 9 September 165 ...

; they had 9 children *****Balthazar IV Moretus (1679–1730) married Isabella Jacoba De Mont (or De Brialmont); they had 8 children *****Joannes Jacobus Moretus (1690–1757) married Theresia Mechtildis Schilder; they had 9 children ******Franciscus Joannes Moretus (1717–1768) married

Maria Theresia Borrekens Maria Theresia Borrekens (1728–1797), was a printer and manager of ''Officina Plantiniana'' (also known as Plantin Press), a leading publisher in Antwerp, from 1765 to 1797. Biography Maria Theresia Josepha BorrekensJan Baptist van der Straelen, ...

, who led the office after Franciscus' death until her death in 1797. They had 13 children *******Jacobus Paulus Josephus Moretus (1756–1808) *******Ludovicus Franciscus Xaverius Moretus (1758–1820) *******Josephus Hyacinthus Moretus (1762–1810) married Maria Henrica Coleta Wellens; they had 8 children ********Albertus Franciscus Hyacinthus Fredericus Moretus (1795–1865) ********Eduardus Josephus Hyacinthus Moretus (1804–1880). He sold the office to the city of Antwerp in 1876, after having printed the last book in 1866. *Magdalena Plantin married Gilles Beys, who then ran the French branch of the Plantin office. This continued for one more generation under their son,

Christophe Beys Christophe Beys (1575–1647) was a printer in the Kingdom of France and the Spanish Netherlands. He was a grandson of Christophe Plantin. Life Beys was born in Paris on 18 June 1575, the son of Gilles Beys and Magdalena Plantin.Dirk Martens *

Plantin (typeface) Plantin is an old-style serif typeface. It was created in 1913 by the British Monotype Corporation for their hot metal typesetting system and is named after the sixteenth-century printer Christophe Plantin. It is loosely based on a Gros Cicero rom ...

* Lodewijk Elzevir

Notes

References

*De Backer, A., and Ruelens, C., ''Annales plantiniennes depuis la fondation de l'imprimerie plantinienne'' (Brussels, 1866). *Clair, Colin, ''Christopher Plantin'' (London, Cassell, 1960) *Degeorge, Léon, ''La Maison Plantin à Anvers'', 2nd ed. (Brussels, 1878). *Rooses, Max, ''Christophe Plantin, imprimeur anversois'' (Antwerp, 1882). *Voet, L., and Voet-Grisolle, J., ''The Plantin Press (1555-1589)'' (6 vols., Amsterdam 1980-1983). * Voet, Leon, ''The Golden Compasses : a history and evaluation of the printing and publishing activities of the Officina Plantiniana at Antwerp,'' in two volumes. Vol. 1, Christophe Plantin and the Moretuses. (Amsterdam and London, 1969). *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plantin, Christopher 16th-century printers 1520s births 1589 deaths Book publishers (people) of the Habsburg Netherlands French male writers French Renaissance humanists