New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-16
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS.
VIERGE'S MASTERPIECE.

lated from the original Of Francisco de ouevedo
ynTss tosciS s With W" Comments on Them BY Jo
seph Pennell, and an Essay on the LIE and Wit
ings of Quevedo by Henry Edward Watts. Folio.
PIP xiii 239. London: T Fisher Irwin; New
York 6. Putnam's sons Importers, 1882.
The Picturesque novel is in the case Of the
authentic picard himsclf-it has had its day, and
is never likely to be more than temporarily gal
vanized into life again. Lever, who might have
Given Us a rcncarnation of " Gil Bias" if any one
could have done SO, failed lamentahy IN his
"Con Cregan7: and, although most students know
De Foe in his Nell Flanders" vein. and have
a speaking acquaintance with those spanish
classics, "La2arilli &c Tonnes and "Guzman ne
Alfarache. SPECIALISTS and lay readers alike have
generally concluded that knavery and low cum
ming are literary motives of Indifferent powers OF
rasc;na,ior Cervantes is the only Picturesque
writer who is really read to-day, and it Is per-
hans needless to add that the charm Of Don
Ouivotc is not strictly the charm Of Plcareslue
novel This edition of QuevedO will, therefore,
come as a surprise in most quarters puu '"o
snrnriso will soon he dissipatcd While MI. WAITS
who has written an introductory essay u" "'e
versatile seventeenth century author' oescil''
hin, as a man who can reasonably DE dsoo'
with Cslderon and Lope De Vega, Claims Pi"0'
fer him very near to Ccrvantes. ana relninus ue
that he was extraordinarily popular In ti'u' ING
land of the eighteenth century WIN" nav ~
keen taste for the novel of quesuonaoie man,
pers. he is compelled 70 admit at the cio*' u
his s,,etcb that this edition has been published
chiefly 70 introduce the illustrations OF Dai''
Vierr, - q larger audience than they have oeeh
ohio - command in the French edition OF 1857
" Pablo DO Seyoyia" i'm its text (which Is, oy 'hc
,var onlv one of Quevedo's performances may
nv may not be good literature IN its claS'' al
irgorior elias we think 10 is. pablo de SegoNd'
in the drawings Of Verge. is goo1, nay IL -
oroat art THIS j. Mr.. Pencils polnt VI w
narturc in his chapter on the drawings an" IL
enitn of the pctulaut remarks OF WHO" "o "
continually delivering himself 'renarkS a. Hi ~,
want rs thew are childish, his paheSS'i'
NOT be rejected by the fortunate posScNsor oi U'''
lime Viorgo i the high priest of modern
illustrators who work with the pen iii7 n;
1T "a now his more than Quevedo SIS 'e"
~, Va modorn Illustrations. not even "N-
centinq Nenzel's to the :" Life of tredefcN '"'
croat- (which arc only accessible In hIh'eo
uo,1 have done as much as Nicrce's TO carry 'ne
art of non drawing 10 the proud poSi'ioh "
oc,roll,. does occupy. though Mr. Pennel seems
=. ha undcr the impression that he ana MANU-
ful Of Others are alone disposed to 90 II JuT'i'o
v;srge owes his greatness to combination VI
Qualities: he is a sympathetic, lmaplhauNe Hi"'
traitor. and erudite also. as the ldeal iV'i'"
NJ mast eras must he. but his spiritual anu "
.o,oc,ral resources would not have availed MN
,opcb had he not been gifted with style anu VIII"
q tachninue of unsurpassablc rightneSs. lie Ne'p'
his medium uudefiled, he is pen drausn'9'n,''
- d s;,rrIo in these pablo drawings, the
integrity of his line is never III question: InD
within his limited sphere lie gets every 'i'in9
.,a. rro.. PAINTER cets except color-and in the
black and-whte artists unueis'anine
word he even gets that
,rl br,nor and nicturcsoueness of these draw
,r0. arc not more remarIable-thOugh they are
inimita ble-than the brilliancy IN inc play vi
b0ht and shade in faultess delneaton OIL loin
in suegestiveness regards texture anu SUI"
stance and in minute details Inc perfect i'n''
firm vet always flowing, never permits us "
realze what may he learned elsewhere tha' Soiie
Of these drawings made by the ar'is' WIN
HE left hand after the right had been paralyzed
and LONG course of training had Deem gone
through In fact, the most significant thihg
about the designs is that they have that VI
vocitv that atmosphere of movement OF me-
combined with all necessary finish. that gives
an immersion of improvisation checked Nv
constructive genius Verge is a constructive
oenius He has spontancity but what his draw
;nqs show most is that he conposes with the u,-
most care and completes his work WIN the al
foctionate regard for technical perfection wlch Is
characteristic Of the consummate ar'S' ana vi '."
alone. The reproduction OF the drawings III 'i''
edition has been intruscd to elliot OF fails'
who did the blocks for the hrst fre'ch eulion
published ten years ago. The reproductions are
i,on than The earlier ones aud satisfy Mr..
pannelp who is good Judge in these matters ana
is without question, right in preierrlng 'he
camera TO the engraving tool in reproductive work
bf the sort. This volume, which has Dee"
beautifully printed and gotten up, gives as true
a notion Of Vierge's work as could he gathered
from anything short of the originals. The lat
ter are at present on exhibition in London, and
are offered for sale with the provision That the
set must he taken whole. No wiser pur-
chase, by the way, could he made for our Metro
poitan Museum of Art than this COLLECTION