Hieronymus Kock

Allegory of Arithmetic by Hieronomous Cock - hand tinted antique copperplate engraving.

Hieronymous Kock or Cock (circa 1510-1570) of Antwerp was one of the most famous Dutch engravers of the 16th Century. This engraving is most likely later, probably dating to sometime around 1650.

Four figures gather around a table making calculations and counting coins. On the floor are books with the names of Pythagoras and Abraham. Arithmatic is symbolized by a woman sitting on a throan, making a calculation on a tablet and wearing a robe decorated with numbers like the edge of a ruler!

The text below the picture reads: "Haec Contemplandis numeris ars gaudet eorum occulta sollers ervens mysteria" which appears to be a text from from a work by the German humanist philosopher Nicolaus Reusner (1545-1602).

Condition: Cut inside platemark. Has been mounted/backed against a second piece of old paper.