In the later 16th and early 17th centuries, Hans Vredelan de Vries ( Leeuwarden 1526-Hanburg 1609) was one of the most influential and versatile Renaissance artists north of the Alps. He left us about 30 publications and series of prints, some of which were still being reprinted as late as the 19th and 20th centuries. He was a painter, drawer, architect end engineer, but became best known for his model drawings and illustrations for strapwork and bandwork. These ornaments were used in architecture and the applied arts throughout Europe. It is due to the possibility of printing illustrations that in the 16th and 17th centuries his models were so very widely distributed. Gerard de Jode’s publication of Architecura oder Bauung der Antiquen in 1577 was entirely in line with development. The work was dedicated to peter Ernest, count of Mansfels.