The sun., 1908-01-16
RLAcK Az WRITE Az DUToR.

Pollaiuolo, Andrea Mantegna and Marc
antonio Raimondi are surrounded by
lesser. though as interesting lights. Zoan
Andrea. Giovanni da Brescia. CristOforo RO-
BETA. the Master OF the Rat Trap. Montagna,
Mocetto. Campagnola Barbari. Beccafumi.
Massys. Francia. Agostino Vene7iano.
CaragliO. Bonasone. VicO. SculptOrs. Ghisi.
CaETaoci. Jean Duvet. Lucohese. the School
Of FOntainebleau and Ribera. the only
painter born in Spain known to have been a
line engraver.
DIR. F. Lippmann in his book on engrav-
ing devotes several chapters to Italian
engraving. He scouts VaSari's story Of the
Florentine goldsmith. MasO Finiguerra.
having discovered in IA5O the method OF
printing engraved plates The earliest date.
says Lippmann. on any engraving executed
in Italy was first seen in a series Of engraved
Illustrations for a book printed at Florence
in I477. Ell Monte Sancto di Dio" Gods
Holy Mountain). He says: Primitive Ital-
ian engravings consist usually OF hard and
heavy outlines dug deeply into the metal.
Inside these outlines the shadows are ex-
pressed. or as a rule simply suggested. by
q few sets OF Oblique lines laid evenly and
without cross hatohings. This modelling
with straight sloping lines remained for a
considerable time a Characteristic peou-
liarity OF Italian engraving By no means
a certainty, our authority thinks it possible
that the secret Of printing engraved plates
passed from Italy to Germany. Mr. David
Keppel In his notes 70 this exhibition tells
ns that tho first Italian engravings were
made with q view to multiplying original
sketches. and that the Italian school has q
rnna,liar fv-oahnAaa A,ra 60 kha ea~f that NhA
prints come down TO us straight from the
drawings OF the greatest masters
Pollaiuolo's 1Gladiators'-the only print
that Kristeller says can with certainty
be ascribed TO him-with It's mighty line.
a line that anticipated Angelo. hangs in
the place OF honor. 1t Il a violent. withal
powerful composition. Chained fighters
jab each other ferooiOusly with swords.
A cruel. crowded plate. 1t exhibits all the
temperamental earmarks Of this painter
and goldsmith. who worked In Florence
and Rome. 1t illustrates admirably Mr..
Berensons asoriptiOn 10 the work Of Pol
laiuolo OF superiority in tactile values and
vivacious movement. One misses neither
space. composition nor color. 30 unbear-
ably vivid and vital are the attitudes and
gestures Of these men brutes. What a
Incl Raphaels gracious line. though In
terpreted by the brilliant Marcantonio
Raimondi. hanging hard by on another
wall. Is sleek and insipid in comparison
with the dragon slayer. Pollaiuolo.
There are seven MAntegnas-a rich gath
erng. He has been called by Cumberland
the Dante OF bis profession profoundly
inept comparison, probably based on his
Christ Descending Into He'll. The Entomb-
ment' and similar plates. Mantegna, like
BOtticelI. was a pagan Of the Renaissance.
His sympathies were all for the antique,
his style enormously influenced by classic
sculpture and bas-reliefs. His Virgins are
Roman, and while the medieval motive is
unIni stakable in the wonderful Christ De-
scending Into Hell. Mantegna was happier
in invention when depicting the combat
OF the Tritons. bacChanals and designs Of
that sort. But he was an cngraver OF the
classic line and "A master of expression.
Those damned souls lettering without the
portals Of Hades, while a devil blows noisily
through a conchlke horn (they were prob
ably music critics on earth and this is their
torture-there is no mstaking the malice
Of the demon, nor the suspicion that he is
blowing out Of tune) are very expressive.
SO is the image Of the Saviour, who is I'M
daunted by the gloomy environment and
hoTrid sights.
OF the Marcantonioe there are ten OK
ampIes and his noble IL occasionally rhe-
torical style may be studied at its best.
There is a plate by Michele LucChese u55O)
which looks as il il had been executed yes
terday. 50 clear and fresh the printing.
H. represents Moses striking water from
al, - IL
encountered specimen. and the Sculptures,
Giovanni Battista, and Diana. believed TO
have been his daughter, and AdamO Sculp-
tore, called his son, are also represented.
The elder Sculptore--or Scultore, born 1903
worked under Giulio Romano. Lipp-
mann does not approve of Bartsch and
Bryan attributing to this gifted group the
name Of Ghisi; Giorgio Ghisi was Of
another family Hercules Suffocating
AntFus,- by Giovanni Battista ScuIptore,
ia a fine design. Diana's work may be
seen in her Birth Of Apollo and -The
Sacrifice Of a Bull to Jupiter There are
three specimens Of Annibal Carracci. and
one by his brother. Agostino. This OK
hibition, which continues until February
I, is particularly refreshing one. IL
conveys the sense Of an art just at its glori-
ous awakening. And how difficult il was
to bring together these seventy-four plates
may he CLEANED from a footnote 20 Mr..
Keppels catalogue, in which he thanks
Francis Bullard. Junius s. Morgan, and
DR. ". NJ Painter for their generous loans
Of "a number of important prints in this
exhibition"
The original etchings by Z. NJ Synge.
A. Il. E., hung in the rear gallery of Arthur
Tooth 4 Sons. corner Of Thirty-first street
and Fifth avenue, are attracting almost az
much attention from amateurs as they did
when first shown at the Connell Galleries
in old Bond street. London. last season.
Mr.. Synge is said to be a cousin Of the
talented Irish playwright who wrote The
Well Of the Saints and The Playboy OF
the Western World Where he studied
We do not know, but even il some Of his
plates show that he has come under the
compelling magic of Whistler and the
minute realism Of Pennell. there is no mis-
taking his individuality Of style and per-
formance. More than hundred examples
are on view. The Spanish set first catches
the eye. rich in tone and displaying a re-
markable feeling for architectural beauties