Self-Portrait

The artist is dressed in work costume, with a flange 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.” (“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: “Nul sans soucy.” (“None without worry.”)