Engraving. 
—— 
English 
school. 
Vertue. 
Pond and 
Woollett, 
52 
George Vertue, born 1684, a scholar of Michael 
Vandergucht, was one of the most industrious artists 
that this country has ever produced. He has left a nu- 
pret om ena ert Ap tre og A9 
spectable, man cuts, O almanacks, an 
antiquities of all kinds ; and he made many drawings 
in water colours, with the view of engraving them. 
We are likewise greatly indebted to him for his Lives 
of the English Artists, a work for which he was inde- 
fatigable in collecting information, as well as in procu- 
ring its of the artists. The manuscript work 
came into the hands of the Hon. Horace Walpole, who 
revised and published it. It abounds in miuch cu- 
rious and i ing information, and is well known. 
He died 1756. 
We have several works executed with great spirit 
and taste, in a very artist-like manner, the productions 
of Arthur Pond and George K n ; among others, a 
set of plates, in imitation of chalk, and ers De draw- 
ings, the designs of the great Italian masters: 
some of these are in chiar ’oscuro, with etched outlines. 
They flourished about the year 1740. 
The first artist of any school, who has been com- 
pletely successful in ean with the truth, spirit, and 
character of the griginals, the landscapes of the great 
Italian masters, (not even excepting Edelinck and Au- 
dran, in their beautiful works in this way,) is Francis 
Vivares: he was a native of France. It appears that 
he did not apply himself to the arts till he was consi- 
derably advanced in life. He learned the principles of 
or fon Poe oe eatin percteens eheoane! 
great genius, he improved on e 
tor, and acquired such freedom in etching as had never 
been before by any engraver: the foliage of 
his trees is delicately and lightly expressed ; aad His 
effect is deep, broad, and clear. His finest works are 
from the pictures of Claude Lorraine, and possess in- 
finitely more of the character of the originals than those 
of any other engraver. 
He must be considered as the founder of the English 
school of landscape engraving, and al (except 
by Woollett) he steve Phi equalled the Tight 
which he gave to su ing artists has been the means 
of keeping up that decided superiority in this depart- 
sei w hick Phis school aaa Move every other, 
He brought his plates to a state of conaderians finish 
and eifect with the point, and put the last touches on 
them with the graver. ; 
The landscapes of Woollett stand unrivalled for 
beauty of execution, and may be considered the most 
pests models of style for landscape. Like Vivares, 
carried his plates a considerable way with the point, 
and 
ing them up in the more delicate parts with the 
dry point. His works have all the delicacy and clear- 
ness of the French masters, and with all the spirit and 
taste of Vivares. He likewise executed several histo- 
rical plates and portraits with great success. His chief 
works are the ] landscapes, which he has engraved 
from R. Wilson, and others; the Death of ‘General 
Wolfe, after West; and a small portrait of Rubens, af- 
ter himself. In tracing the progress of this branch 
of the art, we cannot withhold our admiration from 
these two great men, who, from the state of total insig- 
nificance and neglect in which they found it, raised it 
at’ once to such dignity and perfection. The earliest 
landseapes we have of any importance from the works 
of the great painters, are the engravings of Bélswert, 
after the pictures of Rubens, ‘They-are executed with 
ve them the necessary a with the graver, 
ENGRAVING. 
le of landscape, 
cated th deta tah ands ; 
the un Gace shethrers witeeil’ enecaned voatom 
jects, with which are entirely executed, are 
sell very: eliictive igtalmowoter ond irit. ‘The lands 
scapes of Balechou, which are unriv: 
ting and dexterity of h . 
most erroneous conception 
Saalicading ions of the arial 
excellencies, very imperfect representations i 
sence of cook abbtieailles of water, or the rich. 
ness and variety of nature in the foliage of trees. 
discrimination of Vivares and Woollett pointed out the 
defects of their predecessors ; and, more particularly 
in the works of the latter, we find all the truth of na~ 
ture united to all the beauties of mechanical, skill. 
John Browne is-another eminent engraver of 
scape of this time. He has executed: several large 
works after S. Rosa, Both, and other great masters, in 
an excellent style. He likewise etched many of the 
plates which were afterwards finished by W with 
graver. : 
From this period, the English school is ifie in 
actisearitl Goer} depevtihianty ag Pemaan wes arn 
that we ought to mention 0 EE ee 
He is admirable for the breadth of his effect,: and 
to be regretted that, 
drawing should be so 
only room 
to mention a few names ; ire, Hall, Ryland, 
Bartolozzi, Heath, Holloway, and many others of our 
cotem ies, who maintain, with suc- 
cess, the art. {0 
the English school, for 
‘line manner, 
ee pare “4 
for ite, ‘ally in the imitati 
, broad ae of the English syle, which 
originated in Sir ua Reynolds, ever since 
distinguishing characteristic of this school. 
its the earlier artists, 
such as Faber, M‘Ardel, Smith, Williams, and others ; 
‘but, in the its of Earlom, Watson, V. Green, &c. 
after ids, we-see the art carried to the utmost per- 
fection. In-stippling, or the chalk manner, the artists 
ir productionsare innumerable, and of very differ- 
ent degrees of merit, principally of a small size for books. 
We'have, however, many beautifully executed in the 
chalk manner by Bartalozzi, Holl, Collyer, and others ; 
but there is verlag none superior to of Caroline 
‘Watson, who has produced, among many others, that 
‘head ahr ee oe tispiece to 
We have many 
Sir Robert 
Strange, 
Waisen. 
oz 
