Cornelis Bos

1506 or 1510 Herzogenbosch – 1556 Groningen

Although the Dutch engraver, Cornelis Bos, was regarded as one of the leading masters of ornamental engraving known as the Floris style in the 1540s, important gaps remain in his biography that have yet to be filled. In 1540, Bos received the freedom of the City of Antwerp and was admitted to membership of the Guild of St. Luke the same year. His fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse in 1544, however, when he was banned from the city for belonging to Antwerp’s Libertine Sect and had his possessions confiscated. Bos is thought to have trained as an artist in Rome and associated with some artists there, including Marco da Ravenna and Enea Vico. However, his sojourn in Rome now appears fraught with uncertainty, it being considered more likely that he trained in the Netherlands and spent time in Paris or Fontainebleau in the 1530s. Around 1537/38 Bos was active as an engraver and wood-engraver for Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen and Pieter Coecke van Aelst. After his flight from Antwerp Bos emigrated to the northern Netherlands, where his first stop was presumably Haarlem. He probably settled in Groningen for good around 1550.