In tracing the history of the art, we cannot withhold from the Germans the precedence to which they seem justly entitled. We shall accordingly begin with the masters of that school.
Of Martin Schoen, and his predecessors, we have al ready made mention. The works of.his brother Bartho lomew, bear a strong resemblance to those of Martin, but without his neatness or expression. After them came Israel van Mecheln, Pluydenwurf, Wolgemuth, and Mair, the inventor of chiar' oscuro engraving.
But Albert Durer was the first that attempted to re form the taste of his country, from the rude and barba rous style that was then practised. He displays a fer tile imagination, and a preciseness of design, but with out grace ; and, with regaillio his execution, if we do not discover in his plates the boldness and freedom which arc desirable in large historical works, they at least display every thing requisite for subjects more mi nute and finished. Although the art of engraving has since had the advantage of the experience of three cen turies, it would be difficult to find a more perfect speci men of executive excellence than his print of St Jerome, engraved in the year 1514. He is supposed to have been the inventor of the art of etching : his works executed in that way are the earliest extant; they are not equal to his engravings, but his wood cuts are free and mas terly. Although he was acquainted with the anatomy of the human figure, and designed it occasionally with correctness, his contours are neither graceful nor plea sing; and his figures and drapery are never entirely di vested of the formal Gothic taste prevalent at that time. His plates are numerous, and much esteemed.
What we have said of the style of Albert Durer, ap plies in general to his pupil Aldegrever, Hans Sebald Beham, and his brother Bartholomew, Aldtorfer, Binck, Goerting, George Penz, and Virgilius Solis, who, from the small size of the greater number of their plates, are generally distinguished by the name of the "little mas ters," although they have likewise executed large ones. Hans Holbein, a native of Augsbourg, or, according to some, of Basle, an eminent painter, executed several en gravings on wood. The most remarkable, are those
called "the Dance of Death," consisting of fifty-three small prints, the first publication of which took place about the year 15S0.
The German school long continued to produce engra vings both on copper and wood, principally illustrations of books ; but as from this period it does not seem to have possessed any artists, whose works deserve parti cular consideration, and as the characteristics which distinguished it begin to disappear, from the artists go ing to Rome for the sake of improvement, we shall not prosecute the subject further, but proceed to the Italian school, from whence every thing that is great and ex cellent in modern art has emanated. Generally speak ing, they drew correctly, but they seem to have been more anxious for emolument than fame, if we may judge from the prodigious number of Bible cuts, and religious subjects, executed by them, which have all the appearance of having been done with great rapidity.
After Boticelli and Baldini, already mentioned, An drea, Mantegna, and Antonio Pollajuoli, practised the art. Mantegna, by his superior knowledge of design, contributed more to its perfection than all his cotempo raries in the style of his engraving. He has a great re semblance to Pollajuoli ; but in the drawing of his fi gures he greatly surpasses him, particularly in the na ked. Their plates are generally executed with single strokes, in a diagonal direction, without hatching or cross lines; in the manner of drawing done with a pep. Giovanni Maria di Brescia, and others, followed the manner of Mantegna, without however making any im provement in the art. But Beccafiumi, without much neatness of handling, produced several works, both etch ed, and with the graver only, which display the talents of a great master. \Ve have likewise by him, as well as by Andrea Andreani, many prints in chiar' oscuro, a branch of the art which they carried to greater per fection than it had reached before them. The drawing is correct, and the execution neat and spirited.