The New York herald., 1921-10-23
HoIbein and Durer
Art in Brooklyn

The Print Gallery of the Brooklyn
Museum will open to-day an exhibition
OF reproductions of drawings by Hans
Holbein. including numerous facsimiles
in color; the first instalment and up to
date the only one received in this coun-
try of the remarkable publication by
DR.. Paul CAM. for many years director
Of the Basle Museum. The publishers
are the firm of Fred Boissonnas of Ge-
neva, who have taken over and COM
pleted this publication, which was In
terrupted by the European war; Four
volumes, including 200 prints. largely
in color, have been received by the
museum. The cost is naturally such as
to conflne this publication to a small
number OF public libraries and to a still
smaller number OF private collectors.
The exhibition Of these plates will. there
fore, be service to the public of the
greatest Importance.
The names Of Albert Durer (1471-
1929 and of Hans Holbein (1497-1543)
arc well known as representing tho
highest achievements Of German art In
the early sixteenth century, the period
of the Renaissance, In which the great
est Italian painters also flourished.
Albert Durer Is best known by his splen-
did woodcuts: few Of his oil paintings
are extant and. although several of his
portraits are works of supreme impor-
tance. his production In this direction
was not sufficiently numerous to place
him on the same plane with Holbein as
q painter In oil. His genius had also an
occasional fantastic and slightly eccen-
trio character.
AS a man of genius. Holbein has been
generally ranked as slightly inferior to
Durer. but this verdict may be subject
to change when the present comprehen-
sive and careful publicat tion of his work
Is accessible to expert critics. Holbein's
standing at present is indisputably that
OF the greatest portrait painter and Of
the greatest artist In oil painting OF
northern Europe In the sixteenth CEN
tury. His large Meyer Madonna In tho
Darmstadt Gallery, whose precedence
was so long contested as against the re-
markable replica by another hand In the
Dresden Gallery. is undoubtedly the
greatest north European painting OF the
sixteenth century.
Holbein's portraits are renowned for
their veracious and serious studies of
personality and for their expert defini-
ton of character and national type.
Hence the original drawings which were
prepared by Holbein In advance OF the
execution Of his portraits are among the
most treasured possessions of European
museums and especially so because
through his employment at the court of
Henry VIII. many OF the most famous
historical characters OF that date are
known to us by portraits Of his hand.
II In natural to Judge an artist by
what we know and to forget what has
been destroyed. but when we consider
that fresco was an art rarely practised
IN northern Europe In the sixteenth GEN.
tury because the stained glass windows
Of the Gothic style had displaced the
art OF wall painting In the centuries Inn
mediately preceding. and when we con-
slider that practically no frescoes have
come down to us which were executed
In northern Europe I'm the sixteenth CEN
tury, we must realize that Holbein's rep
utation would be Infinitely greater II his
frescoes In the council hall OF the Town
Hall of Basle and In the Guild Hail of
the Merchants Of the Steel Yard in Lon
don had not long since perished.
The original designs for these frescocs,
which are published in the present work,
are, OF course, Of exceptional interest
There Is still something to be said on
the point that Holbelns reputation is
destined In the future to be greatly
by the reproductions, which
are edited by Prof Ganz. Drawings
by the old masters are an interesting
for study and the collections
n them are widely celebrated, but they