Heinrich Aldegrever was an engraver, goldsmith and painter (Paderborn 1502 - Soest between 1555 and the 1561). He distinguished himself especially as a very refined copper engraver, and in particular he devoted himself to the ornamental genre. He followed the forms of the followers of Dürer (the two Beham and G. Pencz), also influenced by the Italian engravers Marcantonio and Zoan Andrea. Among his best known works are the portraits of Melanchthon and Luther, painted by Cranach, and a series of engravings (1541) inspired by the Macabre dance by Holbein.
