Pieter van der Heyden

Petrus a Merica, c. 1530 – c. 1572, Antwerp

The engraver Pieter van der Heyden was one of the most industrious reproductive engravers to work for the Antwerp publisher Hieronymus Cock. He joined the Antwerp Guild in 1557 and worked for Cock and his widow Volcxken Diericx between 1551 and 1572. The artist also called himself "Petrus a Merica", and the monogram he used, composed of the capital letters PAME, is derived from the latinized form of his name. Van der Heyden was a classical reproductive engraver who remained faithful to his models, although he was the artistic inferior of such colleagues as Cornelis Cort and Philips Galle. Among his best efforts are the numerous engravings after Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel, which made an important contribution to the burgeoning fortunes of Cock’s publishing house Aux Quatre Vents.