Theodor de Bry
![Scan of an engraved self-portrait of Theodorus de Bry that belongs to the today's (May 2023) de Bry Family of Belgium. - He is dressed in work costume, with a flange [[Clothes iron#Types and names|goffered]] on a collar of fur, one hand holding a compass while the other rests on a human skull, both signs of erudition at that time. The Latin words registered on the table are: "''Domine, doce me ita reliquos vitae meae dies transigere ut in vera pietate vivam et moriar.''" ("O Lord, teach me to pass the remaining days of my life such that I live and die in true piety.") Just below these words is the motto of the de Bry family in 16th century old French: "''Nul sans soucy''." Translated from the old French into modern English, it means : "Nobody without worries".) In the oval surrounding his portrait, on the left hand-side, in Latin, it mentions the year the self-portrait was made, i.e. 1597, i.e. about one year before his death. On the right hand-side, it emphasised that Theodorus de Bry felt attached to his birthplace, i.e. "''Leodiensis''", which in Latin of the 16th. century, today (2023), means "the city of Liège, Belgium".<ref>Archives of the De Bry family of Belgium who has a direct genealogical connection with Theodorus de Bry, via brotherhood with his father, Thiry de Bry the young.</ref>](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Theodor_de_Bry_self_portrait_1597.jpg)
Theodor de Bry (also Theodorus de Bry) (152827 March 1598) was an engraver, goldsmith, editor and publisher, famous for his depictions of early European expeditions to the Americas. The Spanish Inquisition forced de Bry , a Protestant, to flee his native, Spanish-controlled Southern Netherlands.
He moved around Europe, starting from his birth on the city of Liège in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, then to Strasbourg, Antwerp, London and Frankfurt, where he settled.De Bry created a large number of engraved illustrations for his books. Most of his books were based on first-hand observations by explorers, even if De Bry himself, acting as a recorder of information, never visited the Americas. To modern eyes, many of the illustrations seem formal but detailed. Provided by Wikipedia
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