The Plantin-Moretus House
The long-lived Plantin-Moretus printing house had many variations on its device, but they always included the hand of God with a compass and the motto, ‘Labore et Constantia,’ or ‘Labor and Consistency.’ It was founded by Christophe Plantin, a French bookbinder who moved to Antwerp in 1549. In 1555, an injury to his arm ended his binding career and he took up printing. Between 1569 and 1572, he printed an eight-volume ‘Biblia Polyglotta,’ a work which faced clerical opposition but had the support of Phillip II of Spain, and was edited by his court chaplain.
The city of Antwerp bought the house and all its contents in 1876, and opened it as a museum in 1877.