New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-11

yirQin and other works, and who was accused OF
selling his copies for originals" IL may have been
argued that such warning would not be affixed TO
the work until offender had given occasion for
il by trying his hand at initiating the FIRST edition.
but Heller says that precisely the same warning IN
the very same words, added to the first edluons
of the Great Passion" and OF the Life OF Mary"
which were published III the same year WIN tue
Little Passion" ISL.
The question is really OF little importance, practi-
cly to any but those who either have purchased or
intend purchasing copies of these famous wood-cuts
Heller saws that the opinion of Bartsch that the ear
lest impressions THAT is for wood-cuts as for steel
and copper engravings the best mpressons OF these
cuts are those which have no text upon the BACKS
has been of great sevce to prnseers, VINO thus are
enabled to palm off upon buyers without eyes, the
most recent worn and defective copies, especially IL
they want the text for the frst and oldest impress
sions 1t will be noticed that Heller does not quote
Henecke but only Bartsch, the authority for the
statement that the first editions were printed with
| out text Indeed Heinecke, as we have seen, does
not make the statement.
Interesting and valuable as is Mr. Primes Dubli-
cation il does not compare in beauty with Mr. Coles
edition of the same cuts. Yet we arc glad to have d.
| for it has an intrinsic value of it's own. III IL in
sense complete, for. though Mr. Coles plates
|
in the possession Of the British Museum it must be
remembered that the Museum has only 50 ont OF the
81 blocks and that the casts of these had TO bo some
what dressed before they could be used for printing,
while the two missing cuts had to be entirely recent
| Mr. Primes edition il not taken from the original
| blocks but by IieliOtypy FROM what he thinks. the
first edition of the cuts themselves, and the plates
certainly arc copied from clear bright impressions rs
| rule, although they are by no means equal. but
| in truth, accurate are these reproductions ana
valuable as they Will prove for purposes of reference
10 those who do not own the originals and great as
will be the service they will render in introducing
| this most admirable work of great master to those
who are not acquainted with it, they lack something
and must inevitably lack something OF the sharpness
and cearness which the impressions from the blocks
themselves would have. Any one who is able to
Judge of such matters from practice can easily see
| the difference in the qualities have named be-
tween the plates in Mr. Primes edition aud those in
Mr. Coles The mere fact that in the one, no impress
sion is made in the substance Of the paper while in
the other tho roughuess be felt ~ IN the case OF
any coarse wood engraving is sufficient test Of the
superiority artistic productions of the impressions
taken from the original blocks oyer any copies made
! by whatever application Of photo-lithography. The
first look like what they are wood-cuts; the others
look like what they are, Autographs
| Mr. Prime expresses himself clearly and senslbly
! on the much yeXed question az TO whether Dtrer
! engraved his wood-cuts with his own hand. 9" have
| chosen he saws 20 call Direr wood-engravcr.
There has been much paper wasted in discussing the
question whether he ever engraved his own blocks
or whether be drew the pictures on wood and left
them To he cnt by unknown workmen The question
is about rs important a. whether CanOya CTlw-
ford handled the chiscl and hammer, aud cut his
statutes from the marble block. IL is certain that he
drew on the wood block and caused 10 bo engraved
style Of work unknown before aud there is 40 oyi-
denco to he found that he did not. IL occasion re-
quirodi usc the knife himself IN finish choice Hines.
or 10 show the fOrRahRoic how BEST TO execute the
new style Of engraving which was given him 10 DO.
II Is evident from examination of existing blocks
that some of them were engraved by different work
men. Ii follows that like modern artists on wood,
he sometime. employed engrayors 10 40 his work.
II is possible that he did nothing moro than direct
the work. lending such aid 3 no must necessarily
do 10 carry out his designs. It possible that he
sometimes did his own engraving. but nothing can
be Affirmed with certainty on this point. III Thor
wnIdson was sculptor Diner was wood-engrayer.'
A word may bo added as TO the singular in
equality in tho thrce great works. Tho Life Of the
Virgin Tho Great Passion and Tho Little Pas
sion" All published IN the year 1911. Not only Is the
actual engraving very unequal. some OF being no
better than that of many of Diners contemporaries
bntthc designs themselves arc ovilcnty-to our
thinking work Of different periods Indeed. We
doubt If it will not day appear that in not few
eases nothing moro belongs Ia Drer than the gen
cral Intention. aud that the details the work of
his scholars. Much OF tho treatment IN the Great |
Passion strongly rcs embes that in Differs youthful
work, Tho Apocalypse whereas the greater part |
of the Little Passion IL in large and mature
almost an Itllian-stylc. We arc ourselves con |
WINGED that while in tho OF few Of the cuts tho
dates 1910 1902. inscribed upon them fix the time
when they worc at least, engraved, at liberty
TO assign the remainder, in some instances. TO the |
period previous to his visit to Italy IN 1896 and In
others to the years between his return and the year
1911 the date OF their Publication Tho three books
are no doubt collections of works executed at dlor
eut times and afterward classified and arranged for
publication. Aud the word book reminds US that |
there il no doubt that tho Little Passion orgi-
uny published In book form. as were according to |
Diners own words, Tho Apocaly pse.p The Great !
Passion and Tho Life Of Mary Heller describes |
the volume Of the Little Passion "A small quarto |
with the plates and pages unnumbercd. There are |
in all - leaves; the paper Is very white and strong
He says also that IN the library Of A. A. RenOuard,
in Paris there il a copy of this Book which Albert |
Diror on bis journey TO tho Netherlands presented |
to the wollknown G. Graphous, the inscription on |
the itlepage still shows: Albertus Drer pictor opt
max. G.. Grapheo dono debit, propria ipsius manu-.
VII. die Fcbr. An ODD XXI
We will express n wish IN conclusion that Mr. |
Prime could have found better portrait OF Dtrer to
uace his beautiful volume than the very unsausfac-
tory head by J: W!cIsS, made in i51l. Drer left
4 - h,tl han