Erasmus and the Age of Reformation Part 24

XXIII. THE HOUSE 'ZUM WALFISCH' AT FREIBURG-IM-BREISGAU. _Facing p. 174_

When Erasmus arrived in Freiburg in 1529, he was invited by the Town Council to live in this house, which had been built for the Emperor Maximilian. See p. 176.

XXIV. PORTRAIT OF CARDINAL HIERONYMUS ALEANDER. Drawing. Arras, Library.

_Facing p. 175_

One of the 280 portrait drawings collected in the codex known as the _Recueil d'Arras_.

XXV. PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS. By Hans Holbein. 1531-2. Basle, offentliche Kunstsammlung (Print Room). _Facing p. 190_

'Holbein may have painted this little roundel on the occasion of a visit to Erasmus at Freiburg' (P. Ganz, op. cit.).

XXVI. ERASMUS DICTATING TO HIS SECRETARY. Woodcut, 1530. _Facing p. 191_

The woodcut shows the aged Erasmus dictating to his amanuensis Gilbertus Cognatus in a room of the University of Freiburg. From _Effigies Desiderii Erasmi Roterdami ... & Gilberti Cognati Nozereni_, Basle, Joh.

Oporinus, 1533.

XXVII. PORTRAIT MEDAL OF ERASMUS. By Quentin Metsys. 1519. London, British Museum. _Facing p. 206_

The reverse shows Erasmus's device, Terminus, and the motto _Concedo nulli_, both of which were also engraved on his sealing ring. For Erasmus's own interpretation see his letter, pp. 246-8. The Greek inscription means, 'His writings will give you a better picture of him'.

XXVIII. PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS. After 1523. By Hans Holbein. Paris, Louvre.

_Facing p. 207_

XXIX. THOMAS MORE AND HIS FAMILY. Pen and ink sketch by Hans Holbein, 1527. Basle, offentliche Kunstsammlung (Print Room). _Facing p. 238_

'The portrait, probably commissioned on the occasion of the scholar's fiftieth birthday, shows him surrounded by his large family. It is the first example of an intimate group portrait not of devotional or ceremonial character painted this side of the Alps. At that time Thomas More was living in his country house at Chelsea with his second wife, Alice, his father, his only son and his son's fiancee, three married daughters, eleven grandchildren and a relative, Margaret Giggs. The artist, who had been recommended to him by his friend Erasmus, was also enjoying his hospitality.' (P. Ganz, op. cit., Cat. No. 175).

The original painting is lost; a copy by Richard Locky, dated 1530, is at Nostell Priory. The drawing was sent by More to Erasmus at Basle so as to introduce his family, for which purpose the names and ages were inscribed. In two letters to Sir Thomas and his daughter, dated 5 and 6 September 1530, Erasmus sent his enthusiastic thanks: 'I cannot put into words the deep pleasure I felt when the painter Holbein gave me the picture of your whole family, which is so completely successful that I should scarcely be able to see you better if I were with you.' (Allen, vol. 8, Nos. 2211-2).

Compare also Erasmus's pen portrait of Sir Thomas More in his letter to Hutten, pp. 231-9.

x.x.x. PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS. Charcoal drawing by Albrecht Durer, dated 1520. Paris, Louvre. _Facing p. 239_

Drawn at Antwerp, during Durer's journey to the Netherlands. When he received the false news of the murder of Luther at Whitsuntide 1521, Durer wrote in his diary: 'O Erasmus of Rotterdam, where art thou?

Listen, thou Knight of Christ, ride out with the Lord Christ, defend the truth and earn for thyself the martyr's crown!'

x.x.xI. PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS. Engraving by Albrecht Durer, dated 1526.

_Facing p. 246_

In his _Diary of a Journey to the Netherlands_, Durer noted in late August 1520: 'I have taken Erasmus of Rotterdam's portrait once more', but he does not say when he took his first portrait. The earlier work is a.s.sumed to have been done one month before, and to be identical with the drawing in the Louvre (Pl. x.x.x). This drawing is mentioned by Erasmus himself in a letter to Pirckheimer of 1525 (p. 240); in an earlier letter to the same friend (1522) he says that Durer had started to paint him in 1520. The second portrait drawing is lost; hence it cannot be proved that this second portrait was made in metal point--as is usually a.s.sumed--and not in charcoal, or that the engraving here reproduced was based on it.

x.x.xII. TERMINUS. Erasmus's device. Pen and ink drawing by Hans Holbein.

Basle, offentliche Kunstsammlung (Print Room). _Facing p. 247_

_Frontispiece_: DECORATIVE PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS WITH HIS DEVICE, TERMINUS. Engraving by Hans Holbein, 1535.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For help in the collection of ill.u.s.trations we are specially indebted to M. Daniel van Damme, Curator of the Erasmus Museum at Anderlecht and author of the _Ephemeride ill.u.s.tree de la Vie d'Erasme_, published in 1936 on the occasion of the fourth centenary of Erasmus's death. For photographs and permission to reproduce we have to thank also the Frick Collection, New York (Pl. iv), the offentliche Kunstsammlung, Basle (Pl.

X-XI, XIV, XXV, XXIX, x.x.xII), the Library of Basle University (Pl.

V-VI), and the Warburg Inst.i.tute, University of London (Pl. iii). The photographs for Pl. II, VII, XVIII-XX and XXVI are by M. Mauhin, Anderlecht, those for Plates VIII and XVII by Dr. F. Stoedtner, Dusseldorf, and that for Plate IX by Fiorentini, Venice.