THE ENGLISH REVIEW. For NOVEMBER, 1785. ART. I. A Biographical Dictionary; containing an Historical Ac count of all the Engravers, from the earliest Period of the Art of Engraving to the prefent Time; and a short Lift of their most esteemed Works. With the Cyphers, Monograms, and particular Marks, used by each Mafter, accurately copied from the Originals, and properly explained. To which is prefixed, an Effay on the Rife and Progrefs of the Art of Engraving, both on Copper, and on Wood. With feveral curious Specimens of the Performances of the most ancient Artifts. By Jofeph Strutt. Vol. 1. 4to. 18s. boards. Faulder, 1785. A1 Ta time when almost every Englishman is a collector of prints, when they are not only objects of tafte, but of luxury and of commerce, a work of this kind must be peculiarly useful. Evelyn's Sculptura, and the other publications that had already appeared upon the fubject, were both defective and incorrect. The foreign publications on engravers and their works it is true are numerous, but none of them Mr. Strutt alleges, are fo comprehenfive as his own. Their lift of names is not fo extenfive; and none of them has given us fufficient information with regard to the characteristic difference of manner in the different engravers ; hence they can afford "us but little affiftance in distinguishing the works of one mafter from those of another of the fame name, or who might ufe the fame mark." these reasons, the author prefumes that his Biographical Dic tionary poffeffes a fuperiority over every work of the kind hitherto published. 66 For We cannot give our readers a better idea of Mr. Strutt's plan than by laying it before them in his own words. In the profecution of the prefent work, I have followed Mr. Pilkington's plan, and arranged the names of the artists alphabetiENG. REV. Nov. 1785. cally, cally, (in the manner of a dictionary) rather than chronologically; because by this method they are much more eafily referred to. But I thought it highly neceflary to add, for the conveniency of the reader, a chronological table of the fame names, with a lift of the difciples of each mafter; which will, of course, be placed at the end of the fecond volume. Nearly three thousand names are included in the narrow limits of this work; the lives of the artists must, of courfe, be drawn up in as fhort a compafs as poffible. I am well aware of the drynefs of a mere dictionary history, as alfo of the frequent repetitions which muft neceffarily occur; and I have endeavoured to compenfate for thefe defects, by a diligent attention to truth: at the fame time, whenever I could meet with an interefting anecdote to enliven the performance, I have gladly inferted it. But fo many of the engravers lived and died in obfcurity, that little, very little matter of amufement, exclufive of the arts, can be gathered from the barren foil. Thefe unfavourable circumftances will not, I hope, be placed to my account, even when it appears, that I have chofen rather to leave the fubject naked as it is, than to adorn it in a more pleafing manner, at the expence of veracity. "With refpect to the general character of each artist, I have written as an engraver, and endeavoured as clearly as poffible, to point out the style in which he worked, and wherein his great excellence confifted; and upwards of twenty years experience, may, perhaps, plead a little in favour of my judgment. I have conftantly, however, endeavoured to deliver my fentiments in the most impartial manner; and if I am in any inftance thought to fpeak too highly in favour of the artift, I hope to claim fome Imall fhare of indulgence, because I constantly fpeak as I feel, and never prefume to give my opinion pofitively, without adding the reafons upon which it is grounded. The prints contained in the feveral lifts, are either fuch as are most generally esteemed, or fuch as best illuftrate the criticisms I give of each mafter's works. I am too well convinced of the difficulty of deciding precifely upon the works of a great mafter; or faying pofitively which is his best print. I freely own, that looking over the battles of Alexander, engraved by Girard Audran from Le Brun, I have conftantly confidered that as beft, which I last examined. Finding it fo very hard a talk to form a decifive opinion in my own mind, I could not reasonably presume to dictate to others; efpecially as I am certain, that this book muft fall into the hands of many, whofe judgment is greatly fuperior to my own. The work is preceded by an introductory effay on the origin and progrefs of the art of engraving, with copies from the works of the oldest and fcarceft mafter's; and at the end of each volume are given two tables, the first containing the initial letters used by the artifts mentioned in it; and the other, an explanation of the monograms, cyphers, and other marks, with which they occafionally diftinguifhed their engravings. Having thus communicated to the public the object he had in view; he, with great diffidence and modefty claims in dulgence for the errors and omiffions that muft neceffarily take place in a work at once fo difficult and laborious. As a fpecimen of the work, we fhall prefent our readers with the life of Albert Durer, who may be confidered as the father of the art of engraving: and with that of Gerard Audran, by whom our author fays, the art was carried to the utmoft degree of perfection. ALBERT DURER. Born, 1471. Died, 1528. The powerful efforts of genius, however they may be retarded by compulfion, or interested purfuits, or depreffed by the hand of poverty, can feldom be totally extinguifhed in the mind. Like the fatent flame, they are, ftill expanding; and generally, at one time or other, manifeft themfelves: and fometimes indeed more powerfully, in proportion to the refiftance they meet with. Genius is often found furrounded with all the difadvantages and difcouraging circumstances of life, and too frequently unable to fupport the man who is guided by her influence. This, however, was not the cafe with Albert Durer; for though born in poverty, he followed the dictates of his genius, and obtained in the end, what he certainly deferved, a comfortable fubfiftence. From his father, who was a goldfmith at Nuremberg, he learned the first principles of engraving; but afterwards he ftudied under Michael Wolgemuth, who not only engraved on wood and copper, but is faid to have practised etch❤ ing with great fuccefs, and was an artist of no mean abilities. It was Albert's defire to have placed himfelf with Martin Schoen, whofe reputation was, at that time, very confiderable; but he was prevented by the death of that mafter. He ftudied, however, from his prints; many of which he copied, as well as fome of thofe of Ifrael van Mecheln. But he feems evidently to have preferred the first, and upon them he formed that ftyle of engraving, which he ever after practifed. His first print, or, at leaft, the first that is dated, is marked with the year 1497; at which time he must have been 26 years of age. And, if we may believe Sandrart, he did not begin to paint till fome time after; 1504 being the earliest date that writer had ever seen upon any of his pictures. 6 To free himself from the noife and impertinence of his wife, who was a very great fhrew, he travelled into the Low Countries, where he contracted an acquaintance with his cotemporary, Lucas Jacobs of Leyden; and a ftrict friendship continued between thefe excellent artifts till the death of Albert Durer. Being perfuaded to return to Nuremberg, on promife of his wife's amendment, he complied with the request of his friends; but he foon felt the effects of his good nature; and, though a man of most excellent temper, fhe broke his heart by her ill treatment. He died at Nuremberg, the place of his birth, A. D. 1528, aged 57 years. He was honoured with a feat among the magiftrates of the city of Nuremberg; and the emperor Maximilian gave him an armorial bearing. The following story is related by Vafari, and others after him, that on feeing fome of his wood cuts, copied by Marc Antonio at Venice, X 2 Venice, he fet out for that city, and complained to the fenate of the damage he sustained. But the only redret. he could obtain was, that Marc Antonio fhould not in future counterfeit the mark of Albert Durer. The truth of this relation indeed is not greatly depended upon. '' • Albert Durer was a man of universal genius. He understood the arts in all their various branches: and wrote treaties on anatomy, perspective, geometry, and architecture both civil and military. As a painter, Vafari fays of him: "If this exact and ad"mirable artift, whofe genius was fo extenfive, had been born at "Tuscany, rather than Germany, fo that he might have had an "opportunity of studying the beautiful pieces which are at Rome, as the rest of us have done, he would have been the best painter "in Italy, as now he is to be reckoned the most excellent and most "celebrated genius of the Flemish school:" which character he undoubtedly deferved in every refpect. But in order to conceive an idea, equal to the merit of this great mafter, it is requifite, that without prejudice we fhould examine many of his works; and we fhall then find, that he poflefied astonishing fertility of invention. His conceptions were excellent; he compoted his figures with great propriety; he varied the characters and expreffions of the heads in a judicious manner; and the hand of the mafter is evident in all his works. He engraved on copper, and on wood. The firft, a few etchings excepted, are executed with the graver only, in fo neat and excellent a ftyle, that for facility of execution, and com mand of that inftrument, he has never been excelled. His etchings are coarse, but spirited; however, they do not equal the rest of his works. His engravings on wood are in a flight, bold style, refembling the masterly sketches he made with the pen. He certainly understood the human figure, and often drew it very correctly; but his outlines are by no means beautiful and flowing, or his choice of forms the most pleating. But thefe defects are owing to the prevailing taste of the country where he refided, and his want of those advantages, which Vafari has justly mentioned. The works of Albert Durer are very numerous, and many of them exceedingly valuable." GIRARD, or GERARD AUDRAN. Born, 164c. Dicd, 1703. The most celebrated artist of the whole family of the Audrans. He was the third fon of Claude Audran, mentioned in a preceding article, and born at Lyons, A. D. 1640. He learned from his father the first principles of defign and engraving: following the example of his brother, he left Lyons, and went to Paris, where his genius soon began to manifest itself; and his reputation brought him to the knowledge of Le Brun, who employed him to engrave the battle of Conftantine, and the triumph of that emperor; and for these works he obtained apartments at the Gobelins. At Rome, where he went for improvement, he is faid to have ftudied under Carlo Maratti, in order to perfect himself in drawing; and in that city, where he refided three years, he engraved feveral fine plates; among the reft, the portrait of Pope Clement the Ninth. M. Colbert, a great encourager of the arts, was fo ftruck with the beauty of Audran's works works, whilft he refided at Rome, that he perfuaded Louis XIV. to recall him. On his return, he applied himfelf affiduoufly to engraving; and was appointed engraver to the king, from whom he received great encouragement. In the year 1681, he was named counsellor of the Royal Academy: and died at Paris, A. D. 1703. He had been married; but left no male iffue behind him. I own my great partiality for this mafter; and that partiality may by fome of my readers be thought to lead me too far, when I fay, that I confider him as the greatest engraver, without any exception, that ever existed in the hiftorical line. However, I am not fingular in this opinion; and, I believe, a careful examination of the battles of Alexander alone, engraved by this artist (which are faid to be equal, if not fuperior to the pictures) will justify the affertion: His great excellency, above that of any other engraver, was, that though he drew admirably himfelf, yet he contracted no manner of his own ; but anfcribed (if I may be allowed the expreffion) on copper fimply, with great truth and spirit, the ftyle of the mafter, whose pictures he copied. On viewing his prints you lofe fight of the engraver, and naturally fay, it is Le Brun, it is Pouffin, it is Mignard, or it is Le Sueur, &c. as you turn to the prints, which he engraved from thofe mafters. Let any one examine the battles above-mentioned from Le Brun, the prefervation of the young Pyrrhus from Nicholas Pouffin, the Peft from Mignard, and the martyrdom of St. Laurence from Le Sueur, and then judge candidly of the truth of this obfervation. Thus much, I hope, the rea der will excufe my faying; and I thought it the more indifpenfably neceffary in this place, because a modern writer has profeffed to give, in one of the chapters of his essay, the characters of the "moft noted maflers" in the art of engraving; and begins that chapter with the "mafters in hiftory." But neither in it, nor in any other part of the book, has he once mentioned the name of Girard Audran. Indeed Francois de Poilly, Girard Edelink, Robert Nanteuil, Lucas Vosterman, and very many other great artists, are in the fame predicament. From what cause fo unwarranted an omiffion could proceed, I am at a lofs to account. The engravings of all the artists above-mentioned are too well known, one would think, to escape the obfervation of an author, pretending to criticife on the works of the "moft noted mafters ;" and if they were known to him, and he has not thought them worthy a place in his lift, it must argue, that his want of judgment on the one fide must be as great as his careleffnefs on the other. It is a harsh unpleafing tafk to cenfure others; for me especially, becaufe I am thoroughly fenfible of the numberless errors, which muft unavoidably be found in the course of a work, like this of mine, and for which I fhall stand in great need of the excufe, and indulgence of my readers. Yet in juftice to the public in general, and this excellent artift in particular, I thought it a duty incumbent on me to fpeak as I have done. To what has been faid, I beg leave to add the following judicious obfervations, on the works of Girard Audran, by the Abbé Fontenai, taken chiefly from M. Bafan, with fome fmall variation and additions. This fublime artist, far from conceiving, that a fervile arrange X 3 66 ment! |