Sylvanus from The Rural Gods

This engraving is from a set of six oval-shaped prints that depict Pastoral Gods. It was published by Hieronymus Cock (ca. 1510–1570) whose name is inscribed on the rock at the right. Cock began publishing in Antwerp in 1548, and his firm became the most important one outside Italy. He made a few of the plates himself, but most were commissioned from designers and engravers. The author of this composition, Frans Floris, designed many prints for Cock. Cort may also have been an apprentice within Cock’s establishment. The series of Pastoral Gods were made in Antwerp in 1565, the year Cort left for Italy. (Metropolitan Museum)