Amongst the books of images without text, there are still preserved in the libraries of the curious, several copies of the Historic veteris et .Novi Testamenti, called also the Poor Man's Bible. Each plate contains appro priate sentences, or the names of the persons, sometimes at the top, sometimes at the bottom, or in scrolls in the middle, all in Latin. At the top and bottom are the busts of two saints, or prophets, with their names under them. In the middle are three historical subjects, that in the centre a principal one, and on each side one typi cal of it. We shall describe the first plate of this se ries, which will afford a fair specimen of the whole : it has the annunciation in the centre ; the inscription above is Ecce Virgo concipiet et 'boric: filiunz ; on the one side are e and the serpent ; and below, vipera vim Jzerdit, sine vi pariente puella ; and farther down, on a scroll, porta lice clausa et non aperictur. In like manner, on the other side, is Gideon with his fleece; above, on a scroll, descendet dominus, sicut pluvia in vellus ; below, core madet Veiius, pluvianz sit it arida telizzs ; lower down, creavit dominus ; and, at the bottom, the indication of the principal subject, Virgo Salutatur. innujzta nzanens gravidatur. This work contains about 50 plates. There is likewise an edition of this work, with plates some what different, with the inseriptiobs translated into the Ger man language. There sill exist copies of other simi h.r works, such as Historia, sett providrntia Virginia. :I la rise ex Cantico CI:nth-or:Lin, and Historia Beate Marie Virginia, cx cvangelistia et Patribus exccrpta et 1.er .figuras illua!rata. These led to books of text, illustrated with images, and still engraved on one block, and in all probability the work of the brief malcr, but printed only on one side of the pape but in some examples the leaves are pasted two and two, to look as if printed on both sides.
In these works of the brief malcrs, we see the origin both of prints and books. But though they practised this art for a long time, the important uses to which their invention might be extended did not occur to them, till, about the year 1442, Guttenberg of Strasburg, a man of a bold and speculative disposition, seeing these works, imagined, that, by cutting each letter separately, he would be able to print whatever he chose; in this, how ever, he was not successful, till, after incredible labour and expellee, in conjunction with Faust, he found means to form them of metal, with punches and matrices, and produced, about the year 1450, an edition of the Bible, the first book ever printed with moveable types, which, for beauty of execution, even at the present advanced state of the art, excites the wonder and astonishment of all who have seen it.
The art of engraving on wood began by degrees to assume a higher character. William Pluydenwurff and Michael Wolgemuth are the first engravers on wood, whose names are preserved. They executed, conjunctly, the plates of the Nuremburg Chronicle, which was pub lished in folio in the year 1493. They consist of figures of various sorts, views of towns, ate.; they are cut with much boldness and spirit; and the characters of the heads are often well delineated. They are, however, marked with all the stiffness and inaccuracy of drawing, which characterise the works of the German artists of. that time.
In the works of the brief malers we see nothing but rude outlines, in the lowest style of art, (if it be at all en titled to the appellation,) without any attempt at correct ness of drawing, expression, or effect. The artists who
followed, who seem to have been numerous, attempting to give their works a little more finish, by introducing shadow, and paying some attention to drawing, brought the art nearer to perfection than it had yet been ; and the completion of it was ultimately effected by the genius Albert Borer, who, as far as regards the executive part of it, brought it to a perfection which has hardly been equalled by any succeeding artist.
It does not appear that Pluydenwurff ever engraved on copper ; but as at this time, with the exception of him, it was the practice of the engravers to exercise both arts, we defer the few criticisms we mean to offer on their orks, till we come to the history of copper-plate engra ving ; and accordingly, in bringing it down to our own we shall take occasional notice of those who have distinguished themselves in engraving on wood. In con cluding this part of the subject, We may remark, that it has been practised at different periods, both by painters and engravers, in every country where the fine arts have been cultivated since the revival, principally in those imitations of drawings called chiar' oscuros, (of which we shall presently take notice,) as «ell as in tile engra ving vignettes, decorations for hooks, and mathematical diagrams ; for these purposes it is well calculated, as the block can be inserted along with the text, and print ed at the same time. This application of the art has been brought to the greatest perfection by Mr Berwick of Newcastle, who, in his two works, the history of birds and of quadrupeds, at the head of each article has given a representation of the animal of which it treats, ir, a style which, for tastefulness of design, beauty, and de licacy of execution, have never been equalled, and their value is still further enhanced by theirtruth of represen tation.
Engraving in chiar' oscuro is a method of imitating slight drawings, by means of different blocks of wood.
The Italians ascribe the invention of this branch of the art to Ugo da Carpi, a painter and engraver, born at Rome about the year 1486 ; but as we have many specimens of chiar' oscuro by the German masters, of a date much an terior to the time assigned by the Italians for its invention by Ugo da Carpi, particularly by Mair, dated 1499, and one by Lucas Cranach, 1500, we cannot admit that he was the inventor. In justice, however, to the claims of Ugo, it must be allowed, that the methods employed by the German artists differed materially from his. The former made out the outline and deep shadows by engra ving them on copper, and then laid a middle tint over the whole by impression from a block of wood, cutting out the places where the clear light was intended to be left ; while that of Ugo was perfofted entirely by differ ent blocks of wood, one for the out and dark shadows, another for the lighter shadows, anaia third for the mid dle tint. Although the number of blocks was generally three, yet, in some instances, four and even five were used. Papillon (Histoire de la Gravare en Bois) gives a specimen of tae process, consisting of four blocks, an impression of each of which is given separately, as well as one of them all in conjunction. It will be found at the 154th page of the second volume, to which we refer the curious reader.