The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-12

| htrumcnt OF reform, the terror or roRues,
and 10 everywhere the educator and cult
vator of the common people.
Wood engraving has also certain artistic
merits of its own. 1t has life, bright
ness, a vigor peculiar to itself. Hence IL
has employed the pencils of some of the
great artists Of all time, of Durer, Hol-
bein, Rubens and Titan.
Proceeding to give rapid sketch OF the
history of wood-engravng, the lecturer OIL
luded to some of the legends which as
cribe extreme antiquity TO this art, but
dated its undisputed origin in the first half
Of the 18th century. Engraving like print
log, waited ages for ink The earliest
bock-books and the earliest wood cuts,
were printed Gin the first quarter of the
18th century, in sort of dlstemper, which
was glue diluted with vinegar. But il
the engrsver waited for the printer, and
both for printers ink, were not both also
waiting for something more-for the idea
that knowledge and art belonged TO the
common people-an idea that came in with
the revival and diffusion Of lesrging, and
manifested itself in the invention of linen
paper, in the multiplication OF manuscripts,
| libraries and universities, md moro fully
by those twin arts through which books
and pictures are indefinitely multiplied and
/
| The first wood-engravings were Used in
| printing playing cards. The wood-engra-
vers, however, were soon called into the
| service of the church. The earliest wood
| cuts in existence are figures of saints in
bare outline, with no cross lines. The old
| est authentic wood cut is the famous print
| OF st. Christopher, dated 1923. The draw
| ing is mostly crude and the execution pri-
| mitive. Other wood-cuts of 1887 and 1443
| are extant, and the number now multiplied
rapidly The "Bblio Panperum" contain
| ed 40 cuts. which though still rude, have
cross hatchings and simple shading In the
drapery. The famous Nuremberg Chroni-
| Gle, 1893, contains 1000 cuts, mainly por-
traits, some Of them doing duty for more
than one parsonage.
At the opening of the 10th century this
art, hitherto crude and coarse, was sudden
| ly raised by the hand of master to extra
| ordinary perfection. Albert Durer was n
| many-sided man, like SO many other of the
| great artists. He was q painter, sculptor,
| eugraver, the discovercr of etching, author
| of works on geometry and fortlfication, was
| great every where, and exercised vast and
| lasting influence on German art. Under
| his hand the wood-cut becomes new
| thing harsh outlines and wrong prospec-
| tive give place TO grace and truth drapery
appears in natural folds; glimpses of land
| scape occupy the background, before va
| cant. Durer's great works were enumerat-
| ed and some of them described by the
| speaker; his 16 folio illustrations of the
Apocalypse, his "HistoIy of the Virgin" in
| 10 cuts with the celebrated vlgnette; the
Large Passion" most characteristic of all
Durer's works, and in some respects most
| admirable the "Littler Passion = the in-
| mense "1'riumphal Arch of Msxmillsn,"
| 10t feet high by 81 feet wide, containing
a pictorial epitome of the history of the
| Roman empire, and others, 200 wood-cuts
| bearing Durar's monogram, in all which
| the simplicity of the treatment is the main
feature. Every thing is strong and clear
the light is broadly distributed there is
James speaks finely Of Durer's touching
simplicity and sincerity" and of ''the i'll
effable tenderness of truth that his intro
spective heart pours out to the world with
such guileless sensibility"
The first half of the 10Th century wit
messed the palmy days of wood engraving.
In 1888 Holbein published his famous series
OF the "Dance Of DEATH" which Charles
Blanc pronounces the chef d'nuvre of the
art. The effects in these cute are rendered
10y strokes never crossed, with q delicate
graver, varied in ito methods, but alweys
elementary and always laconic. There
were IN this notable period number of
"lttle masters" the most noted among
whom were Lucas Cranach, Hans Burg
man, and Hans Baldung Grun. From the
| middle to the close of this century the art
declined, owing largely to the taste for
| smsll labored but spritlcss wood-cuts. The
| revival came so years after in England, in
Il. i'll
| lover Of nature, and par excellence, her de-
| lineator. His most famous works were his
| British birds and quadrupeds. His dis
| tinguishing characteristic is the truth of
| his pictures. OF one of his birds dia-
| linguithed naturalist said, every line is
| the best that could have been devised
| But he by no means lacked imagination.
| Many of his tail pieces and other cuts show
| humcr and pathos. "a moral" Gays a
| writer in Blackrood, 'is in every tail piece
| a sermon in every vignette."
| After paying deserved tribute Of re-
| spect to the American engraver, Alexander
| Anderson, whose work has been hung over
| by more mortals than that of all other en-
gravcrs put together, for he engraved the
| cuts in Webster's spelling book. MIR.
| Benedict closed with few words on
modern engrsvers, placing the French at
the head of the list and the English next,
though the Germans are not far behind.
The range of wood engraving was never 30
wide and varied as now. In mechanical
finish and deicacy, our day surpasses all
| others. But there is great charm in Sim
| plicity-in seeing the production of great
effcts with fewest strokee. And much az
we may admire the admirable work OF our
| day, we turn back from 1t to HOlbein and
| nuror 18th p,othipn ~ bo y,la uyth
| which we turn from the ripe faces Of pol
ished manhood and womanhood to the
| freshness, simplicity and vigor of youth.
The lecture was illustrated by an exhibit
ton Of wood engravings of very remark
able interest and value. Il comprised orig
| inal impressions from the early wood cuts
| of saints, dating back to A. d. 1414-thus
antedating the discovery OF the art Of
| printing fac-simile Of the first dated
wood cut the St. Christopher of 1883 an
interesting cut of the Last Judgment, print
ed at Nuremberg in 1903, from the collec-
ton Of Prof. Torrey cuts from Durer's
series of the Apocalypse the entire series
of Durer's Larger Passion, from the origi-
nal blocks, edition of 1915 (these valuable
prints, as well as those OF the earliest
wood cuts of saints, are from the collection
of Hon. L. d. Chittenden, OF New York,
| kindly loaned by shim Tor this lecture) !;
prints from Durer's blocks illustrating the
History of the Virgin, furnished by Prof.
Torrcy, Prof. Simmons and Mr.. Ware !;
Durer's Samson, Martyrdom of st. Cathe-
rine, and other large prints Of that master :;
cuts from Durers 'Iesser Passion and
his own likeness (his last drawing in wood
from the original block also specimens OF
the work of Lucas Cranach, and Hans Bal
dung Grun; copy of the famous 'Chiaro-
scuro" print after Titian's Martyrdom of
ST. Peter Dominicanus, by John Baptist
jackson, Venice, 17o9-all of these from
Mr. Chittenden's collection; and specimens
OF some superior modern work.
Mr. Benedicts lecture was on an inter
esting theme, and was highly entertaining
and instructive. 1t was filled with infor-
nation such as all intelligent persons are