DEPARTMENT OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS. 41 



The preparation of a catalogue of the German and Flemish 

 woodcuts of the fifteenth century has been continued. De- 

 scriptions of the block-books and fragments of block-books 

 preserved in this Department, and of the grotesque alphabet 

 closely allied to them in style, have been inserted. A fuller 

 account of this alphabet has also been written, comparing it in 

 detail with the similar alphabet at Basle and with the copies 

 engraved by the " Master with the Banderoles," to accompany 

 a facsimile of the British Museum alphabet which is shortly 

 to be published by the Trustees. Ths book-illustrations, 

 treated as a separate section of the 15th century woodcuts, 

 have also been described, and an introductory essay has been 

 written for the section of prints in the "maniere criblee." 



The catalogue of drawings by Albrecht Diirer has been 

 revised and completed by the addition of those belonging to 

 the Malcolm collection. 



The preparation and transcription for press of a descriptive 

 catalogue of the collection of English Drawings has been 

 continued down to the name Gilpin. 



Titles for the principal articles contained in the volumes 

 for 1898 of the " Jahrbuch der Koniglich Preussischen Kunst- 

 sammlungen," " Zeitschrift fiir Bildende Kunst," and 

 " Gazette des Beaux-Arts " have been written for the index 

 of Books of Reference. 



All Books of Prints and Books of Reference recently 

 acquired have been indexed and placed. 



The preparation of a catalogue of the Franks collection of 

 Book-plates has been commenced, and tw enty thousand and 

 fifty-seven titles have.been written. 



The preparation of a catalogue of all the English Mezzotints 

 contained in the Department has been continued. 



The preparation of slips for an index to the collection of 

 Foreign Portraits has been continued. 



The second copy of the index to the collection of English 

 Portraits has been revised and completed. 



The indexes to the collections of English and foreign print- 

 sale catalogues have been completed. 



All new names have been entered, and all necessary altera- 

 tions effected, in the general indexes of artists. 



The drawings by the several masters of the English school 

 included in the first volume of the printed catalogue have 

 been numbered in accordance therewith. 



Eighty-seven drawings and one thousand five hundred and 

 ninety-two prints, recently acquired, have been incorporated 

 with the collections to which they severally belong. 



Eight thousand two hundred and sixty-one prints, draw- 

 ings, &c., recently acquired, have been impressed with the 

 departmental stamp, and references to the Register. 



The work of impressing with a special stamp the Schreiber 

 collection of playing cards has been completed, six hundred 

 and ninety-one packs and sheets having been stamped. The 

 work of impressing with a special stamp the Franks collection 



