Pieter Perret ( es, Pedro Perret 1555–1625) was a Flemish engraver who worked in Madrid in the service of

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 ...

. He married Isabel de Faria, who was born in Portugal, with whom he had a son, also named Peter. His son, also an engraver, Hispanicized his name and went by " Pedro Perete".

Background

Born 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,

around 1555, he was a pupil of Maerten de Vos and Gerard de Jode. Prior to 1578 he studied engraving in Rome with Cornelis Cort. After that, he returned to Antwerp, eventually moving to Bavaria, where he was appointed engraver to William IV, Duke of Bavaria and the Elector of Cologne. During this time, he may also have worked in Paris for publisher Nicolas Le Bon. In 1584 Juan de Herrera commissioned Perret to print images of the plants and topographical views of the Monastery of San Lorenzo Del Escorial. Herrera was to provide the copper plates already drawn by his hand, and Perret was to engrave them for a fee of 600

ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

s. Perret moved to Madrid and was bound to take on no other work until the plates were engraved. However, the work was not completed until 1589. That year, they were collected in a small book titled ''Sumaria y breve declaración de los diseños y estampas de la fábrica de San Lorenzo del Escorial'' and sold by Herrera. Despite the prohibition on taking on other work, Perret published the first of his portraits, that of the Empress Maria of Austria, in 1585. In 1590 he returned to Antwerp where he became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke in 1594. Between 1591 and 1595, he published some allegorical engravings based on drawings provided by Otto van Veen. Among them were works dedicated to Herrera and Philip II. Other works from this time are three small plates of prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, and Haggai, following designs by

Nicolas van Houy Nicolas van Houy or de Hoey (c.1550– 1611) was a Dutch Golden Age painter active in France. He was also an Age of Science and Reasoning contributor. Biography Van Houy was born in Leiden. According to the RKD he was court painter to the Fr ...

for the work ''Icones prophetarum maiorum et minorum'' (1594) published in Antwerp by Philip Galle. Copies of these three plates are preserved in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid. In 1595 he was appointed as a court engraver by Philip II, with a salary of 100

s per year. With the royal appointment, he established himself in Madrid, focusing on book publishing. He focused not only on book covers and portraits, but also typographic marks and small ornaments. Perret published at least thirty-four books while in Madrid, with more in Lisbon, where he may have moved during the Iberian Union. Some of his best-known works of this time are portraits, including the ''Retrato de San Ignacio de Loyola'' ( en, Portrait of Saint Ignatius of Loyola) included in the ''Obras'' of Father Ribadeneira. Also notable are the portraits of the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

theologian , that of Mateo Alemán, published with the first part of '' Guzmán de Alfarache'', and that of , collected in his ''Sphera del Universo'', which also included a strongly mannerist-looking allegory of ''Astronomía'', copied from . Between 1609 and his death, he published the covers of most of the books in Madrid. Among the books published are ''La conquista de las Molucas'' ( en, The Conquest of the Moluccas), by

Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola (August 1562February 4, 1631), Spanish poet and historian. Biography Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola was baptized at Barbastro on August 26, 1562. He studied at Huesca, took orders, and was presented to the rector ...

in 1609, ''De la veneración que se debe a los cuerpos de los santos y a sus reliquias'' ( en, On the veneration due to the bodies of the saints and their relics), by

Sancho Dávila Toledo Sancho Dávila Toledo (Sancho de Avila) (Ávila, Old Castile, 1546, – Plasencia, Cáceres, 6 or 7 December 1625) was a Spanish bishop. He was of a distinguished family, and was known as a learned preacher. Life He completed his ecclesiastic ...

Bishop of Jaén A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop i ...

in 1611; ''Compendio de las fiestas que se hicieron en la beatificación de la madre Teresa de Jesús'' ( en, Compendium of the festivities that took place in the beatification of Mother Teresa de Jesús), by Diego de San José in 1615; Council and counselor of princes, by in 1617; ''Filipe Segundo Rey de España'', by

Luis Cabrera de Córdoba Luis Cabrera de Córdoba (1559–1623) was a Spanish historian and writer. His masterpiece is ''Historia de Felipe II''. He was born in Madrid. His poem ''Laurentina'' was written for King Philip II. Only seven of the original 29 cantos have ...

in 1619, with an image of Phillip II as "defender of faith," He provided two interior illustrations on designs by the architect Juan Gómez de Mora. The cover of the ''Eróticas'' or ''Amatorias'', by

Esteban Manuel de Villegas Esteban Manuel de Villegas ( Matute, La Rioja, 5 February 1589Nájera, La Rioja, 3 September 1669) was a 17th-century Spanish poet. Biography Villegas studied grammar in Madrid and later enrolled at the University of Salamanca on 20 November ...

, printed in Nájera in 1618 by Juan de Mongastón, also seems to be by him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perret, Pedro 16th-century births 1625 deaths Flemish engravers Spanish engravers Artists from Antwerp

Background

Further reading

References

External links