There are many fine etchings of Ferdinand Hol, Lie yens, Van Vliet, and several other painters of that time, who either were the pupils of Rembrandt, or imitated his style. They have all a fine breadth of light, and are executed with great spirit and effect ; but have no.t in any instance equalled Rembrandt. There are a few engravings by Janus Llama executed at this time in a new way, called opus malleoli, or the work of the ham mer. It was performed on the copper with a hammer and small punches or chisels, like the etching points ; and the shadows were made of any depth, according to the force of the blows and the closeness of the dots. The barb that was raised on the surface not being en tirely scraped off, gives in the first impressions a soft and agreeable effect.
The family of the Visschers displayed great excel lence in the art. They all drew with great taste ; and, both in their compositions and engravings from other masters, sheaved genius and science in an eminent de gree. Cornelius Visscher stands unrivalled for the fide lity and spirit wherewith he has rendered the character and effect of the pictures he worked from ; and is justly considered an excellent model of imitation for all young engravers. His etchings are free and spirited ; but his works with the graver are admirable. His mode of exe- • cution with that instrument was as singular as the effect he produced was scientific and beautiful ; his strokes on the draperies and backgrounds, are laid, as it would ap pear, without attention or study in what direction they should lie, but just as the plate happened to lie before him, and these he crossed and recrossed till he had pro duced the necessary depth of shadow or colour; but on the flesh he bestowed particular care, and his heads are finished in an excellent style, and display both the charac ter and expression of the original, and his dexterity in handling the graver. He has left many works of con siderable size, both from his own designs, and the pic tures of the Italian and Flemish masters, history, por trait, conversations, and.landscapes, &c. which are much esteemed. His brother, John Visscher, was likewise an excellent artist. His works are principally etchings from Berghem, Du Jardin, Ostade, and Brouwer. His effect is beautiful and harmonious, his drawing excellent, and his execution free and spirited. His principal works are after Berghem ; in them he has rendered the spirit of the originals with much truth, and the animals are drawn with great beauty and spirit. Nicholas John Visscher, another of the same family, has left many etchings in a free, spirited, and masterly style. Though but slightly finished, his drawing is correct ; but he paid little attention to colour or general effect, and left many parts of his plates untinted. His works, which are numerous, are principally landscapes, with small figures and cattle, from Berghem and Du Jafdin.
The painters of the Dutch school have likewise pro duced many beautiful etchings of landscapes, conversa tions, cattle, &c. The landscapes of Waterloo are esteemed most. The subjects he chose were wood and rural scenery. They are executed with much freedom and great truth. They exhibit none of the taste, grace, or refined elegance of Claude Lorraine ; but are evi dently studies of individual nature, without much ima gination, sentiment, or selection.
With the etchings of Waterloo, we may contrast the works, in this way, which have been left us by Jakob Ruysdael. Without the finishing of Waterloo, they possess infinitely more spirit and freedom. They are little more than outlines. His trees have much charac ter and variety ; and in decayed trunks, and similar ob jects on the foreground, in boldness and powerful exe• cution, he is surpassed only by Rembrandt. The etch ings of Ostade represent merry meetings, and similar subjects, conceived with great humour, and executer: with much spirit ; and the figures and still life admira ble grouped. They are all from his own designs, of various sizes, and very numerous, and of different de grees of merit.
Of all the painters who have etched animals, for scientific drawing and profound anatomical knowledge, there is none to be compared to Paul Potter. Ile has left many etchings, wherein he has exerted his great talents in this way with much success. His figures are grouped with great taste, and their extremities are marked with great precision. His etchings are not very numerous, and sell at very high prices. Adrian Van de Veldt, and Karl du Jardin, have likewise executed many etchings of cattle, which, for tastefulness, correct ness of design and anatomical knowledge, are next to those of Paul Potter; while those of Berghem, which are executed witil the greatest spirit and taste, and are also well drawn, arc, on a comparison with the works of those we have just mentioned, very deficient in the truth and beauty of anatomical detail. There are many etchings by Cuyp, Stoop, Bamboccio, and others, pos sessing in a greater or lesser degree the excellencies which we have mentioned; but on a consideration of these, our limits do not permit us to enter. We cannot, however, conclude this account of the Dutch school, without making respectful mention of an amateur whose works &Okiy so much genius, and would do honour to any artist,—the person we allude to is Count Goudt of Utrecht. This extraordinary personage practised the art solely for his amusement ; he flourished about the year 1610. The plates which he has left are seven in number, all from the pictures of Adam Elshcimer, with whom he had contracted an intimacy at Rome. His drawing is correct and tasteful; his heads are finely marked; the extremities are judiciously managed ; the effect is strong, deep, and powerful ; and the execution neat. The plates are all remarkable for some peculiar effect, of fire or moonlight, of the stillness of the morn ing, or the deep solemnity of twilight; and in them we know not which most to admire, the correctness of his design, the beauty of his effect, the fine sentiment he has so happily infused into his works, or the neatness and appropriate style of his execution. He wrought en tirely with the graver, and produced his effect not in the usual manner, by strengthening the strokes, but by crossing five or six times in the deep shadows, with other strokes equally neat. his print called the Sorce ry, is certainly hard and unharmonious, from the sudden transition of the strong lights into the deep shadows; but in the fine impressions, where the delicate tinting on the lights has not been worn away, this is not so conspi cuous.