New-York tribune., 1910-08-21

to blend their fancy with simple realism s B,
itself a positive fountain OF joy. II gives Il
their work a subtly appealing quality, touch
ing US with a sense of young and sweet and
fower-Iike things. The figures are sOmetins,
realized truthfuIIy enough. but. possibly fror
the formal handling of the draperies. thes,
images, though Iifelike have at the same Tin.
q beguiIing other-worldliness about them. Il !,
nIain that whether from the stubbornness q,
the engraver's mode Of expression not ar
lists of the first rank were generally deterrst
from adopting it.
There were two resplendent exceptions 10 n.
rule PollaiuoIo and Mantegna both lett plata,
of the highest beauty and power. The forne-
in his single engraving, the famous Battle n
Naked Men," produced not only a characters
ticaIly brilliant study of the nude but pis.
of technique brimming over with vIgor and VIII
the precious quality of style. As for Nantegns
to whom Mr. Hind and Mr.. COlvin assign Wit
out question seven of the plates which ha7.
been attributed to him, he would seem 10 ha7.
Iabored with the engraver's tool es symDs
theticalIy as with the brush, and clearly vi,
the same authority. Take. for example h,
''Entornbment," a fragment Of which We revr
duce. 1t is one of his noblest triumphs. bc,.
jestic sculpturaI representation Of form. Ts
universally of Leonardo suggests that he mar.
tised engraving as he practised everything eks
but the editors of this work can trace neithg.
documentary nor traditional evidence that hs
ever actually executed a plate. That his inal.
ence told, however, here as in so many other IL
rections. is obvious from the exquisite Profile
Bust of a Young Woman" which is attributed
upon a design of his. it is at least conceivat,s
as the editors say. that it may be an origr2!
work of the masters. Bramante. too. is an
other outstanding figure who has been esn
nected with the art of the engraver. though
is probable that the large and very interestrg
Interior of a Ruined Church or Temps
which bears his signature, was designed by ht-
and not placed upon the copper by his hand
From these salient monuments in the hish7
of early Italian engraving, sparse souvenirs Of
few men of supreme ability, We may pass to
group which if less imposing has, on the OttE
hand, something like veritable witchery- II
is the group which embraces Jacopo de- Barta-
Girolarno Mocetto, Benedetto 3ICntagna and Il
two CampagnOlas. In JaCOpO's suavely draw
nudes, warmly touched by the influence Of d.
rer, in the gay fanCies Of Nontagna, in Il
poetic conceptions and soft touch Of GnE
Campagnola, you are aware OF all the can5r
and grace of the Renaissance, of all the tend
freshness characteristic OF the great artist
movement in its dawning years. POllaiuOlo an
Mantegna alone were comparable to Durer
giving to engraved line the originality and ds
tinction in which it reaches its highest fun
ment: but to most of the craftsmen enunerats
in this catalogue there was granted meas11
of that magic of art which viii vitaliZe e7E
the most immature design To follow Mr.. Hin
and Mr. Colvin in their descriptions and crit
cisns is both edifying and enjoyable, for alon:
with the solid information they give Us on th7
relation of nielIo to engraving. on the diferen's
between the fine manner and the broad man
ner, on the so-caIled "TaroCChi Cards Of Nal
tegna," on the true "TaroCchi." on many oha
such topics and on a score of interesting Qei
sonalities, there is always the atmosphere o
beauty. Decidedly, this formal catalogue
book to read, a book to serve all those who cas
for the spirit of early italian art