Riggs (Timothy A.), born 1942, compiler

(21 cm), (4) (ii) xxxii, 416 pp., 205 numbered illustrations on [68] leaves of plates. Publisher’s cloth binding (no dust jacket issued). - “Following a survey of the origins and early development of print publishing, Cock’s life and his work as an artist are described, and the history of his publishing house, the Quatre Vents, is recounted, with an account of its internal operations. Next, the body of prints it issued is studied from several points of view. The interaction of the styles of the various engravers and etchers working for Cock is examined, with particular emphasis on the influence of the Italian engraver Giorgio Ghisi on the engravers and that of Cock himself on the etchers. The role of the Quatre Vents in the dissemination of knowledge about Italian and antique art in northern Europe is assessed. Certain new trends in print publishing characteristic of the Quatre Vents are studied: the major place given to suites of ornament, architectural, and landscape prints; two sets of prints with political significance (The Victories of Charles V and The Funeral Procession of Charles V); and two collections of portraits, the first of contemporary European rulers and the second of eminent Dutch and Flemish painters. The significance of the suite of prints as a form of publication is briefly discussed. Finally, Cock’s aims and influence as a publisher are considered: the market which existed for his prints, their use by artists and others, and the further development of print publication in Flanders in the late 16th and early 17th centuries” (author’s abstract). ¶ Fine copy.