There were many other artists of eminence at this time, such as Chercau, Cochin, Simonneau, Beauvais, Dupuis, Sec. but of these our limits do not permit us to enter on any particular details.
Balechou, born 1715, carried the handling the graver, as far as relates to the clearness of the strokes and bril liancy of colour, to a greater perfection than any preced ing artist of his country ; but, notwithstanding the beauty of his execution, his flesh is like marble, and his drawing is lame and incorrect. These defects appear most con spicuous in his historical subjects and portraits; but his three landscapes, after Vernet, are amongst the finest productions of the graver.
\Ville, a native of Germany, but who resided mostly at Paris, and fiourised about 1760, carried the excel lencies, which we have ascribed to Balechou, still far ther. No engraver, since his time, has ever equalled him in the clearness of his cutting, and the beauty and smoothness of his effect ; and his style was admirably adapted to the subjects he chose, which were in gene ral the conversations, and other familiar subjects of the Dutch and Flemish painters. Ile imitated sattin with astonishing success. his print of the death of Cleopa tra, after Netscher, affords a wonderful example of this. She is habited in white sattin ; and though we must condemn the taste which dictated such a costume in such a subject, every one must admire the talents tt 'deli its execution displays. The flesh in this, as well as mast of his other works, is hard, and like marble, front the excessive clearness of his lines.
The landscapes, cattle pieces, and drolls of the Fle mish and Dutch schools, have been rendered with much fidelity and spirit by Le Bas. lie availed himself much of the freedom and facility of etching, which he har monized in an admirable manner with the dry point and the graver. lie executed upwards of an hundred plates after Tcnicrs, besides numerous engravings from Ostade, Wovermans, du Jardin, Berghem, and others of that school.
From the brilliant era of the age of Louis XI V. to the present time, the French school has distinguished itself for all the mechanical excellencies of the graver ; but it is to be regretted that these qualities, after the time of Edclinck and the Audrans till within these few years, have seldom been displayed on subjects of legitimate historical composition, but have in general been confin ed to the representation of the most absurd and ridicu lous frivolities. The genius of David, and a concur
rence of other circumstances, have revived the study of the antique, and effected a total revolution in the national taste ; but in leaving the one extreme of folly and affecta tion, they have gone to the other, that of cold insipidity. Their historical subjects now, in aiming at the chaste and rigid style of the antique, present nothing but grouper of statues, without life, energy, or action. Of this sort are all the works of the present French en gravers, though possessing all the beauties of mechani cal skill, in which they have so long excelled.
The Flemish and Dutch schools now demand our consideration; and as the styles of them both differ not materially from each other, we shall include them both under the same head.
Lucas Jacobs, better known under the name of Lucas Van Leyden, must be regarded as the patriarch of the Dutch school. lie was born in 1494, and was contem porary with Albert Duren There existed between them the most cordial friendship. He is a! ivied to have sur passed Albert in composition, though inferior to him in design. If-is drawing of the figure is stifly taken from the model, without grace or elegance in the style, which was at that time prevalent in his country. His execu tion is neat and clear ; but as his stroke is equally fine in the fore-grounds as in, the distances, and as there is a want of connection in the masses, his plates, though ex tremely neat, arc inferior in firmness, harmony, and effect, to those of Albert Durer. lie engraved on wood as well as copper, hut his cuts are not numerous. They are spirited and masterly.
After the death of Lucas Van Leyden, the art seem-• cd to have made little progress for many years, as the engravers seem to have been principally employed, as in Germany, in decorations for books. The Wierinxes, who flourished about 1580, and who imitated the style of Albert Durer, with the exception of correct drawing, and much attention to the marking out the extremities of their figures, did little towards its advancement.