New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-08
CLUB EXHIBITIONS.
OLD ENGRAv1NGs AND MODERN PAINTINGS

engraved portraits Of English authors from Chaucer TO
DR.. Samuel johnson which the Groler Club invites
its friends TO Inspect during the next fourteen days
Admiration for the trumphs Of the BURN which 1t
tains is mingled with interest in the of letters of
whom 1t Is memorial. Three hundred ana fifty
three prints exhibited the work Of 10 engravers
Nearly every one OF the plates is rarity, and some
| of them priceless. The exhibition has been ar
ranged alphabetically instead Of chronologcay. The
two side walls Of the clubs gallery hung with o
single line of plates and the rest laid in nat glass
| topped cases The cases contain also a number OF
books opened to show the frontspece title page,
those having bn the favorie place FOR the pJn OF
portraits Of the old English authors. In fact, large
proportion Of the portraits shown separately were
originally taken from books. In the
frontispleoe portraits the only we have. OF
Herrick for instance there is authentic portrait
known save that which adorns the first edition of his
"IIcsperides," published in 164e. There we see his
sculpuresque head mounted firmly on pedestal set
In classic landscape with pretty amorin gambong
on the grass. All other portraits Of Herrick have
been copied from this Sucking, from whom Herick
plagisrBed Of the most unfoTgettable Of all quaint
tributes TO beauty's feet. appears here in of the
regular prints that is TO say, in Vertues series OF
monumental engravings after authentic portraits Of
some Of Englands noblest singers.
These prints OF Vertue's among the most
precious Of eighteenth century English engravings.
He an adept in his field and he had capacity
He sifted we'll the claims Of a portrait before he
graved it. and when he had decided upon the model
10 follow he made his plate a beautiful work Of art
with architectural and embematic borders. Fletcher
Cover Lydgae, most sanctmonious of all the vsages
here Milton, Shakespeare, Spencer, Stow, Sidney and
Waller, all are shown in his fine engravngs. The
club has other engIavings Of these men, original por
traits too but Vertues plates are of a character to
deserve inclusion in an exhibition like the present.
irrespective Of whatever else is shown. some OF his
plates rare moreover in spite OF his comparatively
recent date. The splendid portrait OF Matt Prior he
engraved for the folio edition Of the poets works pub
lished in 1719 is excessively hard to find. The folio
turns up from time to time, but in every the
frontispiece portrait Is missing 1t is possible that it
was made for The book and never really published
with IT, 1t is TO Nertuc that owe the earliest
portrait Of Pope, done when the poet was still young
and elegant man just rising into fame. Another en-
graver Of sterling ability whose plates frequent and
salient in this exhibition il Faithorne, master
of the seventeenth century. His line is clear cut,
almost that OF Nanteuil, or Edelinck and it Is
easy TO fancy his equang those giants had he lived
long enough and received judicious advice. As IL
is, some OF his plates come very near the standard
set by the great Frenchmen. Such plate is his OF
Thomas Kegrew, the gifted, prolific and utterly
abandoned favOre Of Charles l. The impression OF
shown here, an extremely rare one, has ali the
softness and sheen of Nanteuil. Nanteuil himself
Is represented by beautiful plate after portrait Of
| John Evelyn the diarist. Grateloup another great
| FIenchmaD greater perhaps than Nanteuil, may DO
in single plate 1t Is n very small one after tie
famous Kneiler portrait CT Dryden, and its greatness
| consists in q combination of microscopic delcacy
and precision with sOftness and beauty Of texture
hardly surpassed in the broad, velvety tones of the
best workers in neZzOtin The secret OF his method
has fascinated and baicd engravcrs since his
death.
Knellers name appears the eft-hand lower corner
Of dozens of plates this collection He painted por
Tho aunHnr If ba Kat
and those members who belong to The literary hierarchy
are shown here in FabcT's well-known mezzoiints.
Faber good artist but l. smith, his contemporary
was a better smith did two of the Same Kneller
portraits tIlat Faber did. the Addison and Congreve
and he cast his colleagues work vastly in the shade
ms trans parent tones Of his plates attest even
after all and tear OF time. one or two other
plates by Smith are here, fine one after Lelyfs
Wycherley, and one not quite so fine, after portrait
Of Pope. Gaywood is earlier engraver whose wOrh
also interesting in purely technical way. IN the
rare plate Of Drumwood of Hawthornden he ploushs
the copper with a stiff inhexible hand, but very ex
pressive1y witha Though the style is hard, it is
the style Of q competent artist. Drumwood looks
down upon with natural, because more
modernized, features in a noble mezzotnt hanging
next the Gaywoods engraving. The authorship
Of the plate is unknown. Earlier even than
Caywood's plates are the two which preserves
for US a likeness OF virlle Chapman, the Chap
man who spoke out loud and bold" In his
translation Of Homer. Both these are contemporary
portraits The first from the collective edition
OF the Had and the odyssey published in 1916. In il
Che head is appropriately surrounded by clouds.
The engraving IS a sharply outlined piece of work by
Hole. The other is til titlepage Of the translation
Of Homers Battle OF the Frogs and Nice" While
We are among the first letters OF the alphabet we may
pause 20 note the engraving OF De Foe by Sher-
wfn the group Of curons plates, some very scarce,
after Bacon twho, hardly ever, 1t is SEEN was por-
trayed without hat The portraits Of Gilbert Burnett
Macauy's great Bishop Of the dignihed Robert Boyle
OF Richard Brathwat, who wrote BaTnabys Journal
OF Richard Bronze, whose expression varies curfously
AZ IL Is retouched for successive paintings Of the
same engraving, and OF the handsome Duke OF Buck
ingham the friend OF Charles II, and Of Drydens
soyerest satiists. The portrait frontspece TO one
edition of Samuel Buffer is noticeable because it is
one OF the few plates OF this sort that Hogarh ever
engraved.
1t is only necessary to attempt to consider the
collection alphabetically to realize how farreacing
task Is involved thereby. CHANGER, Carey Cowey Whose
Poetca Blossomes," published in 1853; has charm
ing print of tho poet at thrteen, Drayton Donne,
,Davenant F1orio The Montaigne MANI, Gray,
Howell Massinger and so on through the catalogue OF
the worthless OF English literature, every man OF
emlnence is shown I'm plate OF interesting work
anslnp and more interesting history. To touch upon
them ALL 10 recapitulate little OF the anecdotal ma
teral that ennches them is plainly impossible. But
few more OF the treasures should be pointed OUT Inc
three portraits Of Shakespeare from the folio OF 1882
by Droeshout from the Poems OF $780,, by Marshall
and from the Rape OF Lucrece' OF 1885, by Fathorne
the uncsnny portrait Of Droeshaut from the painting
representing him In his shroud the portraits OF serne
OF Milton and OF Goldsmith Only five women figure |
In the exhibition, the lovely Anne Kiigrew, the late
ingenious" s@is. Aphra Behn Katherine Philips Inc |
matchless Ornda, Mrs Ccntlvre and Lambs cherished
Madge" the "thrice noble illustrous and excellent
Duchess Of Newcastle" Men and women. the authors
pictured here make mighty show
In following the example by various other New
York clubs and exhibiting pictures at their house. the