The Rise and Fall of Charles de Mallery
This is an unprecedented, detailed account of the life and career of the Flemish printmaker and publisher Charles de Mallery, who was part of the renowned, extended Galle and Collaert families of print publishers of Antwerp. It reveals not only the often ignored diversity of his production, but also his remarkable and profitable participation in an unexpectedly active international trade in prints in seventeenth-century Europe. This documentation of the extent of his success as a print publisher is all the more potent when compared with his subsequent demise due to significant, unanticipated financial demands following the death of his wife. We consequently demonstrate in riveting detail how prosperous professionals can quickly be reduced to impoverishment, forced to sell their possessions and accept whatever work they could get, ultimately becoming dependent upon the good will of others.