Visscher, Nicolaus Joannis (Claes Jansz) (b.-1580) 
Bryan's Dictionary of painters and engravers, new ed« (1927), 
v,5, p.310, says: ”There has been a good deal of confusion over 
the Vissahers. Nagler points out that a print-selling business 
was carried on at Amsterdam in the middle of the 16th century 
by Jan Claesz Visscher; that he had a son, an engraver, Claes 
(Nicolas) Jansz, (the above,) whose early plates were frequently 
signed de Jonge (the younger); that, later, Claes Jansz succeeded 
to his father's business, and thenceforth signed himself C, J, 
Visscher, Nicolaus Joannis Visscher, or Nic, Jo, Piscator," 
We have several sets of plates referred to N, Visscher, either 
as engraver or publisher, Pritzel, 2d ed,, no, 10801, among anon 
ymous works lists: "Livre nouveau de fleurs, tres util pour orfe 
vrerie, et autres, DSdie'&Jean de Leins d Amsterdam chez Nic, 
Visscher, 1625,” with a later issue at Paris, 1645, by Baltasar 
Moncornet, under whose name both these series are entered in the 
present bibliography, altho it now seems as if they might better 
have been entered under Visscher, since Monoomet apparently re¬ 
printed Visscher's original series* 
Wheldon and Wesley, in their Illus, Cat, Rare Books (1925), 
n,s,, no, 6 (l923), item 130, offered two series of plates tmder 
’Visscher (N.) and F, de Wit.” The first is entitled "Theatrum 
florum,” with Amsterdam bracketed as place of publication, and 
is supposed to have been published about 1620, But altho the 8 
plates of Pt,i are inscribed ”Ex formis Nicolai Visschbr,” the 
first of the 16 plates of the 2d part have "Theatrum florum se¬ 
conds pars, excudit F, de Wit,” Frederik de Wit (Widt or Witt) 
flourished from 1648 to 1698, and it seems very improbable that 
he could have engraved these sets of plates as early as 1620 or 
even 1625, It seems more plausible that some of the plates of 
Visscher may have come into De Wit's possession and have been 
reprinted by the latter in the last quarter of the 17th century, 
when we find a nxnriber of other works credited to him. 
