history of Engraving.—This most important invention, by which the productions of art are diffused without limit, is said to have been accidental, and is claimed for Tom maso Finiguerra, who first took impressions on paper about the year 1440. His employ ment was executing ornamental E., chiefly on articles used in religious services, such as small portable shrines, or altarpieces. These were generally made of silver, and the designs engraved on them were filled up with a black composition, that hardened in a short time. This composition was called in Italian niello (from Lat. nigellus, dim. of niger, black), and the workers in it niellatori. It was the practice of Finiguerra, in the course of executing his work, to prove it by rubbing lampblack and oil into, and press ing paper over it; he thus obtained an impression of his work up to a particular stage, and was enabled safely to carry it on till it was completed. Finiguerra's title to the invention has been disputed; and in a recent work by J. D. Passavant, .L6 Peintrb-Gra veur (Leip. 1860), a strong case seems to be made out for its German origin. Be that as it may, the principal early Italian engravers who followed Finiguerra, were Bacio Baldini (born about 1436, died 1515); Sandro Botticelli (born 1437, died 1515)—he embel lished an edition of Dante's Inferno, brought out in 1481; Antonio Pollajuoli (born 1426,. died 1498, at Florence); Andrea Mantegna (born at Padua 1431, died at Mantua 1505); and Marc Antonio Raymondi (born at Bologna 1487 or 1488, died 1539), who executed his chief works at Rome. The most celebrated early German engravers were Martin Schoengauer (born at Colmar about 1455, died 1499); Israel van Mecheln, or Meckenen (born at Meckenen on the Meuse about 1450, and died 1523); Michel Wohlgemuth, who died in 1519; Albert Durer (born at Nurnberg in 1471, died in 1528); and Lucas van Leyden (born at Leyden 1494, died 1533). The engravings of all these artists are very valuable, not only from their scarceness, and as illustrating the early history and grog ress of the art, but as exemplifying many high qualities that have never been surpassed in later times. The most of them were painters, and engraved their own works, except. Marc Antonio, who engraved chiefly those of Raphael, by whom he was employed, and who occasionally overlooked and directed him. All those engravers, and their imme diate followers, executed their works with the graver; but soon after, engravings came to be generally executed by two processes—etching, and cutting with the graver or the dry-point. The works of these early masters are often remarkable for character and expression, as those, for instance, by Mantegna; and for the correctness and high style of the drawing, for which qualities Marc Antonio has never been surpassed; also fat finish of the most careful and elaborate kind, which has been carried further by Albert Dtlrer and Lucas van Leyden than by any other engravers. The styles of these early engravers were cultivated by numerous successors, several of whom followed their masters as closely as they could, while others diverged into something like originality: the chief names are Agostino Veneziano, about 1620; Nicolas Belin da Modena, and' Giov. Ghisi, 1630; Luc. Damesz, who died in 1533; Giov. Giac. Caraglio, and Marco da Ravenna, about 1640; Giul. Bonasone, born at Bologna in 1498, died in Rome in 1564; Eneus Vicus, George Vens, Henrid Aldegraf. and Jean Sebast. Boehm, about. 1550; Adrian, Charles, William, and John Collert, Adam and George Ghisi, Sutermann, Virgilius Solid, Cornelius Cort, Martin Rota, and others, ranging from the middle to the end of the 16th century. Agost. Caracci, the celebrated painter, executed many spirited engravings. Saenredarn, De Brun, Galle, Kellerthaller, Alberti, De Goudt, C. de Pass, Saddler, are names of well-known engravers that enter on the 17th century. Henry Goltzius is noted for the number and variety of his works, and his imitations of the styles of the older masters. In the plates of engravers towards the middle of the 17th, and beginning of the 18th c., a large proportion of the work consists of etching, the graver being chiefly used for deepening and clearing up the etching. This arose from the manner of working beinF well adapted for rendering the style of the painters of that. period, whose works were distinguished for freedom of execution fclr'touch, and clear ness and transparency. The most noted engravers of this period were the Vischers, who flourished between 1610 and 1650, and engraved many of Berghem's pictures; Bolswert, 1620; Lucas Vosterman the elder, 1630; Suyderhoef, about 1640. These engravers rendered many of the works of Rubens in a very spirited manner. Coryn Boel—whose engravings from Teniers are in some respects superior even to La Bas Troyen, and Van Kessel, are worthy contemporaries.
In the age of Louis XIV., a race of engravers of portraits arose, who carried execu tion with the graver almost to perfection. The works of the artists they engraved from were florid in style, with a great display of drapery and lace, and accessories in the back grounds elaborately executed. Among these engravers the following rank highest: Gerard Edelinek (b. Antwerp 1627, d. Paris 1707)—he was one of the best engravers of the period, and specially patronized by Louis XIV.; Masson (b. 1636, d. 1700); Larmes sin (h. 1640, d. 1684); Drevet the elder (b. 1664, d. 1739); Drevet the younger (b. 1697); Gerard Andran (b. 1640, d. 1703). There was a large family of Andrans engravers, but Gerard was the most celebrated, indeed, he was one of the best of the French engravers Among engravers of talent in England may he mentioned Robert Walker (b. 1572); William Faithorne (b. London between 1620 and 1630, d. 1694) executed many excellent
engravings of portraits; George Vertue (b. London 1684, d. 1756), a good engraver, and a man of general information and taste in matters of art; John Smith (b. London 1654, d. 1722) executed in mezzotinto a vast number of interesting portraits. In the 18th c., there were numerous excellent engravers, by whose works the taste for the pictures of the Dutch school of the 17th c. has been widely extended. Two of the most distin guished of these were John Philip le Bas (b. Pans 1708, d. 1782) and John George Wille (b. Konigsberg 1717, d. 1808). Their styles are totally dissimilar. Le Bas's plates are chiefly etched, and remarkable for spirit and sharpness of touch and transparency; accordingly, mostly all his works are after painters who excelled in these qualities, par ticularly Teniers. Wille's engravings, again, are of the most careful and elaborate description, and his best prints are after Gerard Dow, Terburg, Miens, and Metzu masters distinguished for the high finish of their pictures. He worked with the graver; and his plates are distinguished by the precision and clearness with which the lines are cut.
It was about the middle and latter portion of last century that engraving reached its highest point in England. The works of William Hogarth (b. London 1698, d. 1764) are of world-wide celebrity, but that is owing mainly to the excellence and dramatic interest of the pictures from which the engravings are made, though, no doubt, his prints are engraved in a firm clear style, similar to that practiced by the French engrav ers of the time, several of whom were employed by him, It was sir Robert Strange (b. Orkney 1721, d. London 1792), an engraver of figures, and William Woolet (b. Maid stone 1735. d. London 1785), a landscape-engraver, who imparted to English E. those qualities and characteristics that enable us to claim a style of E. that is national, differ ing from other styles, and that has arisen and been best carried out in this country. In drawing and form, Strange was rather defective; but he excelled in what engravers call color, or the art of producing, by means of variety of line, a texture or quality that compensates for the want of color, by giving to the E. something of the richness pro educed by color in a picture. His imitation of the softness and semi-transparency of flesh was particularly successful, and superior to that of the French engravers, whose works, though in most respects admirable, failed in that respect, and had, in the more delicate parts, a hard or metallic look. Woolet treated landscape-engraving in a manner totally new, imparting to it more firmness and decision, by making great use of the graver. His works have more finish and force than former landscape-engravers, but they are in some degree liable to the objection of hardness, in the treatment of foliage in particular. The works of these two engravers have had a marked influence on art, not only in this country, but abroad. The merit of Strange's style was acknowledged on the continent; he was elected a member of the academies of Florence, Bologna, Parma, and Rome. At the end of last century, art had fallen very low on the conti nent, but a regeneration was beginning;• and in Italy, engravers were then arising, such as Volpato and Cunego, who studied and imitated the softness and, technically speak ing, fleshiness of texture that distinguished the works of the British engraver; those, again, were followed by Raphael 3Iorghen, i.oWghi. Mereurit. and others, in Italy; by Boucher Desnoyers, Forster, etc., in France; and by 3IiIller, Keller, Gruner, and numerous other engravers in Germany. By them, engraving has been carried to the highest pitch. Amongst their works, the following are The Last Supper," after Da Vinci, by R. Morghen ; the " Sposalizia," after Raphael, by Longhi; "La Belle Jardiniere," and other works, after Raphael, by Boucher Desnoyers, who has engraved the works of Raphael perhaps on the whole better than any other engraver, "The Madonna de San Sisto," by Muller, and "The Dispute on thesacrament," after Raphael, of Keller. No engravings executed in this country Caine up to the works of these last-named masters, who have engraved works of a higher class than the majority of those done by Strange, while the drawing and general treatment of their works are in a purer and more correct style. However, the engravings of Burnet, Raimbach, Stewart, and others after Wilkie and contemporary British painters, deservedly held the highest place among works of the class to which they belong, and betoken clearly the great influ ence which Strange exercised on their style. At present, few figure-subjects are exe cuted in the line-manner, and that art has certainly fallen in this country. This may be accounted for, perhaps, by the great use made of mechanical appliances, in portions of the work, to save time, and by the preference shown for mezzotinto-engraving as practiced at present, that is, with a mixture of lining or stippling. The greater number of Landseer's works have been engraved in that way, and it is now adopted for render ing the works of John Phillip and Millais, and the leading artists of the day. Several, however, of Landseer's earlier works have been engraved in the line-manner, particu larly his pictures of " Drovers Leaving the Grampians," and " The Watering-place," by Watt, which are capital examples of line-engraving: There is no good modern school of landscape-engraving on the continent; the influence of Woolet was entirely confined to this country, where landscape-engraving, particularly in illustrated works after Tur ner, has attained great excellence.