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

ook over the plates Of the "Alhambra" and consider
,sha, an anount of culture of education, of techn-
col training is implied in every one OF them FIRST
NO have owen Jones himself with all that makes
him the hiehly-cultivated decorative artist no H.
setting himself to study the Alhambra ornament anu
make careful drawings of il, recording form ana
coIor with all the accuracy lie IL capable Oh
Then onr adopted townsman. Mr.. Wrey Mould
AT that time an assistant in the office OF Owen Jones'
ia se at the aborious task Of transferring all these
drawings to the photographic stones working, many
DAVIS fifteen or sixteen hours on the stretch' man u
original genius buckng to the task OF
hand for the better accomplishment OF his own Work
in the time TO come Lastly, the skllliui workman
takes the stones, covered with the results OF the
labors of these two artists and with nhnlte paueheo
and dexterity multpes copies OF their "orh ioi 'o
nublic We do not know that either of these books
was unfinished with the understanding that after the
,ssue Of certain number of copies, the stones should
he DESTROYED. but it is most likely to have been the
case IN both instances partly because great many
of the purchasers would be gatfed with tho notion
of having something that everybody else could not
have and partly for better reason III order to pre-
vent impressions being struck Oft after the stones
were worn. But it will easily be seen that in case
the stones were once destroyed, no new edition
could be produced without mourning an expense
nearly equal TO that of the first edition In fact the
only item that would be saved would be the expense
of Mr.. Owen Joness labor. His drawings would
still exist and Mr. Mould or other man equally
sklIfulif such could be foundmust again set HIM
self to the task of reproducing them upon the stone
And this is raey if ever accomplished for there are
so many beautiful things TO be reproduced, and SO
few skillful men ready to devote themselves TO the
work, that il is seldom found remuneratlyeto repeat
what has once been thoroughly well done.
But. in the case of Mr. Bottoms edition of the Lit
tie Passion the conditions are very different. Any
body who has set Of DiiTor's wOodcuts may
send them tomorrow to the very company that
printed these plates for Messrs Bouton and Prime,
and have them struck of for consideration. Or,
the American Photo-L photographic Company will do
them every bit as well. We have before ms two
plates one a copy of the Flight into Egypt" aud
the other a copy of the Marriage of the Virgin
both from Diners Life of the Virgin" which arc
perfect fac-simies of the original wood-cuts. The
one was made some years ago, by Turner's process
the other few months since by the American
Photo-L ithogaphic Company, and five had copies OF
the Little Passion il would be violation Of any
law 90 copyright-though it would be mean action
to have them printed, and sell them in competition
with Mr.. BoutOns edition. OF course, no honorable
person would wish to do tins, but then may not the
subscribers TO this work reasonably complain that
Mr. Boutons advertisement is rather illusory in its
termsi Does it not imply promise that II cannot
fulfill Without in tho least, meaning H. Mr. Bouton
has been led into the Preparation OF little bt oi
humbug, by bis desire to initiate practice that Is
more honored in the breach than in the Observance
and We speak Of il the more plainly because We are
really sorry that he has cast the least shade Of dsre
,falss hat
credit.
Nor can We think that either Mr.. Bouon Mr.
Prime has done full justice to tho other editions Of
this famous series that have appeared in modern
times Mr. Benton in his circular says, the editions
which have been published IN modern times in In
rope are defective wanting moro less eie OF the
plates and are of an inferior and unsatisfactory class
of workmanship And Mr.. Prime, while he does not
notice the small aud cheap but valuable edition pub
lished by Archdeacon Allen in 1876 lRoutledgc n
Coz, the plates ia which edition were printed from
stereotype casts OF the original blocks aud the llt1
book sold for a shillingpassss over. with only the
scantes possible reference the beautiful edition pub
lished by Pickering in 1911, and edited by the latc
Henry Cole which also was printed from stereotype
casts from the original blocks" new border lines
being added the worm-holci stopped. and those
parts skillfully recut by Mr.. Thufston Thompson"
Although Mr. Prime does not mention the name
either Of the editor of this rare end beautiful book,
Jr that of the engaycr and merely states the date Of
he publication, without giving the name 81 the pub
isher he ssems-wc trust We do him no injusticc-to
nave made good use Of Mr.. Henry Coles lntrodGc-
ion IN preparing that portion OF bis own which To-
ates to the publication Of tho Little Passion
Thus Mr Cole counting the two editions published
~ Ddrer himself lin i5lD. and the one published
more than century later llGl2 ia Venice. Fcak, OF
iis own as the fourth edition Of g original blocks,
which liz no doubt wax. M. Prime repeat,
his staiemement, overlooking the fact that twelve
-ear. after Mr.. Coles publication came Archdeacon
Aliens. winch made the Glth. 50 MI Cole, relying
IN the authority OF Nagcr and lloInecke, Barisch
md Ottey, is sure that the earliest edition was pub
ished without any accompanying letter.press,' ana
Mr. Prime says also that the first issue Of these cuts
appears to have been without any lotcrpross accom-
,auyng them A little later he says that, among
he examples OF Diners workmanship ia hs posses
,on are twenty of this first ISSUE without the letter
press on the backs. Bat how does he know that tins
was the first ssuo1 Heller, who is recognized a. a
great authority on the subject Of Diners works
The first volume of his Lcben md Worke Mbrccht
Durers' in which he gives the most minute and 10
orious description of every one Of his productions
oil paintings. stcel-cngraIngs. woodongrayings.
with accounts of all the copies mutations and
terfeits, and the marks by which they may be dis
tinguished. being itself monumental labor-Heller.
TO whom neither Mr.. Cole nor Nj. Prime 30 much as
audes, distinctly expresses bis belief that the first
impressions are those which have the Latin verses of
Chedonius on the backs, and gives his reasons for
his belief at length, so that with Heller on ono side
Of the not very important question. and only Naglor
on the other there il need Of surrenderng uncon-
dtionalIy to Mcsss Cole and Pgimes view Of the
matter Mr. Cole says that search has been alto