Philips Galle

1537 Haarlem – 1612 Antwerp

The engraver and publisher, Philips Galle, was one of Antwerp’s most influential and prolific publishers of engravings in the tradition established by Hieronymus Cock. He was trained by Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert in Haarlem, where he began his career by making reproductive engravings for Cock. After 1563 Galle published his engravings himself, specialising in series of allegorical and moralising engravings after designs by Maarten van Heemskerck. Around 1570 he moved to Antwerp, where he continued his publishing activities. After Cock’s death, Galle became the leading publisher of engravings in Antwerp, where – thanks to the efforts of his sons – his workshop remained the centre of graphic production in the city until well into the 17th century. Throughout his life Galle adhered to his disciplined, somewhat rigid engraving technique. In contrast to Cock he did not encourage the engravers working for him to develop an artistic style of their own, as a result of which the many series of engravings he published have a very homogeneous, intellectual quality.