Georg Bocskay and Joris Hoefnagel never met, but they collaborated (or more likely competed) on a masterpiece: Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta. Bocskay was secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, and in 1561 to 1562, he demonstrated his preeminent skill in calligraphy by compiling the Model Book of Calligraphy. Still, Bocskay probably couldn't anticipate the whimsical approach that would be taken 15 years after his death by the learned illustrator Hoefnagel, perhaps Europe's last great illuminator. Hoefnagel had seen quite a bit of the world. Born to a merchant family in Antwerp, Hoefnagel eventually fled the city of his birth during the Dutch Revolt. Living in exile, he visited Spain, Italy, England and Germany. His work on the Model Book of Calligraphy came after many years of impressive artistry. He may have started another of his masterpieces, Four Elements, a multi-volume work on the known world, years before arriving in Prague.