Both lyrically and visually, Amsterdam born and bred Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert (1522-1590) was a real pioneer. His extensive oeuvre includes the first ethics in a European vernacular, a groundbreaking treatise about the treatment of prisoners, and a unique language guide aimed at both boys and girls. In addition to a great number of prose texts, he also wrote poems, songs, and plays. As a visual artist, Coornhert created hundreds of top-quality engravings, enabling him to also reach an illit...