New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-16
LAMA ILLUSTRATED.
c1-pppR HOLIDAY BOOK.


labor enthusiasm talent and sensbility. Indeed IL
NAV be wrong to class among holiday DOCKS
whose fame is generally that OF a season. "orh
destined like this to be permanent addlVoh " oui
treasures of art As specimen oil luxury, '"a,0
md originality in book-makng 1t Is an th"V INC
most fastdious could desire; the external ana
,trctlv decorative features not less IemarkebIe
for high refinement than for rchuess but IL Is the
intrinsic beauty the technical excellence, and the
,nre noetcal spirit Of the drawings which consti-
tute its exceptional value The illustrations about
forty in number, are reproduced from the artists
originals by phOt0gravure, and we have never
seen a more sgnally successful application OF ths
valuable process. How fine an Interpreter OF the
nrtistic intention it may sometimes he, now much
finer than the best engraving, we can Judge from
comparison Of the illustrations in the book WIN
COPIES of a few of them which have been eDGlaNeu
for the December number of The Century nagt~'ne'
The quality of the wood-cuts in that perlodlcal Is
too well established to need commentators o"'
the least critical observer must see' "heh he lays
side bv side the cut and the photOgIaNuIo ol V"o
invisible uymph 4" near smiling on the green, OF
of LAMA contemplating her newly recovered form
On the clear pool, that there is soft and subtle
beauty in the drawing which the engraVor has
faiIed to CATCH delicacy of light and shade ana
outline and above all a charm of expression Two
smaller cuts IN the magazine are lar more SaIISIdc-
tory: and IL we miss something OF the dcSifcu
eect IN the large this is not TO be taken as an
argument for the general superiority OF the camera
to the graver, since the artist undoubtedly maze
his drawings with particular reference to relrodue
ton by the mechanical process.
Mr. Henry Eckford in writing of these illustra-
lions in The Ceat,Uq remarks that Keats avoided
The harsh rrotesque and barbarOuS elements IN the
old legend of LAMA, and that Mr.. Low has perhaps
carried the refining sentiment even further than !
Keats This is true; and yet it must be admitted
that the artist, by dwelling only upon those
ospects of tho poem which were most attractive |
70 the poet has really expressed the spirit OF Meats
more. perfectly than il he had undertaken fun
illustration of tho text. Few artists would have
nos.ed over that famous description of the " COR
dian shane of dazzling hue the woman Imprisoned
IN the form of a beautiful serpent; It is such an
obvious Subject -; but Mr. Low indicates rather
than depicts the serpent nature, and that only IN
one picture, where the woman in LAMA, beautiful
vistul and pathetic, pleads with llermos Tor her
liberation. He never pauseS upon the hoIrl'ie
features of the fable; he delights III ali that IS
lovely and pathetic. The medallion head Of lama
which does duty for a falso-title gives the key Oh
the whole artistic composition 1t is yearnng
and pensve face touched with sadness but with no
tr,lt of evil and the clements of the story as the
pictures tell IT, are fresh transforming love, inc
agony of Illustration, and thc cruelty Oh Ia1o,
Keats has more than this but this gives the soul OF
his poem; and Mr.. Lows selections show exact ana
profound sympathy
The artists keen sense Of beauty III the human
face and figure impresses us at the very threshold
in the admirable design of the Dedication 1t creetS
n again in the first illustration OF the text proper
the nymph moving porplcNed between the hooi,o
Satvr and the languld Triton. 1t Is conspicuous ID
The exquisite drawing of Hermes. resting iH-I OF
painful jealOuses, against the stem oil p'HO '''0
in a close wood; in the Hermes who Listens ~
,..,io ~, he cCnnp
TONED; in the chaste nvmph. model OF grace ana
elegant simplicity. who battles her nmble feet IN
the brook In the picturc of the earnest little Cupid
who stands upon a marble seat, whispering sweet
temptation into the closed ears of the nymph ana
LAYING his hand upon her shoulder with gesture
which no mortal could have ressted' but 1t Is most
of all observable in the portrait Of the nymph as
She first appears to Hermes after LAMA has broken
the spell of invsibity. This is one OF the drawings
engraved for The Century The nymph, still fancy
ING herself unseen is half seated, halt reclining, in
an open stretch Of flowery sward in the MIDST oil
grove The foliage is reflected in huge stone basin
of still water jus behind her, and the hight falls
with tine effect from the open spaces overhead upon
her draped limbs her right arm which carelessly
holds few blossoms and Der wrea thed mead
The lett arm supports the figure. The pose is
maryelously natural and graceful there is not a
sta line in it, The central point of the picture Is
tie nymphs face Here we have not only a rare
beauty of feature but an expression which we can
only call captivating. Her head Is Inclined a LITTLE
downward but her eyes are raised, as If she were
looking at TIE standing Hermes, who may be sup
posed regarding her from tie position OF the
spectator. and t, whom she believes that She IS
invisible. half smile of tender satisfaction
mingled with a remnant Of miscellaneous Amusement
PLAYS upon her lips In the next Illustration
Hermes and the nymph, III amOrous embrace, Hy
INTO the green recessed woods, their feet just graz
ing the earth which they do not press. II IS a
spirited drawing OF a difficult subject. As the pair
Of umortals float away, we return to LAMA
now a lady bright.
A lu-borU beauty, new and exquisite.
And we come at onco upon one of The Century
pictures In the scene where LAMA stood
About young birds huter from a wood
Fair a sOpug green OF messy tread,
BY a clear pool wherein she passoned
To see herself escaped from sore ills,
While her robes Haunted with the dafoIiIs.
there is a sOltness in the moulding of the figure
and a Young pure serious beauty in the face, she
studies the reflection in the pool, of which the
magazine reproduction gave us hardly hint. This
Is very different type of loycllness from that OF
the nymph; Lama IS scarcely treated, either by
the poet the artist. one of the immOrtals; TO
them when she has escaped from the serpent curse,
she becomes a in the quality of her love and
sorrow and it IS always wOman's soul which
looks ont of her wonderful eyes The character OF
the face changes after she has been united with
Iycius Passion deepens into 4 gentle and clingine
tenderness. Mr.. Low shows that in the attitudes
and the expression, most of all in the searching
dark eyes intO which creeps. the story uears it
end shadow of apprehension and then OF dread
progressive series of fateful changes is artfully
suggested in the whole set Of Illustrations devoted
to the lives of Lvcius ami LAMA IN COrinth, from
the full-page picture in which the youth avoids tho
recognition of Apollonius, the sage, while Lamii
holds BIN with both hands by the hand and arm
through the delicious little drawing of Lamia con
nor +io