GERMAN SCHOOL OF ENGRAVING. 



Of the various powers of Albert ; his reputation as the qiiainted ; and though we do not behold the f\Tnmctrv and 

 father of the Gerinan fchool of painting ; and liis general fiiperlative grace of Greek beauty, \vc prcbablv fee the fr't 

 merits as an artiit, we have already treated pretty much at and acknowledged biaiity of Nurcrr.bcrg. It will alfo h- 

 large; (fee Durer, A/.p.ert.) It remains to add ourlillof allowed, that the Paradife they mud fiiortly quit, dois not 

 his principal engravings, and to comment more particularly feem very defirabie to inhabit : here is no genial light, no 

 on fomcof thofe\vhichare,anddefcrTe tobe,mo(t confpicuous. luxuriance of vegetation, and no Jibundance of animal lif?. 

 Though the dcfefts of the artift are point-.d out in the To ufe more of the words of Milton, nature is fo far from 

 critical remarks wliich follow, and which are chiefly ex- wantoning as in her prin-.r-, — fo very far frcm iilaving at will 

 traftod from leftarcs delivered at the Royal Inflitution in her virgin fancies, that (he appears,' in thofe of Shakfpeare, 

 the years 1805 and 1806, yet are they calculated to lead "bald with dry antiquity:' yet if Raphael has violated 

 the attentive obferver to a more intimate acquaintance with this cardinal principle of proprictv, by erectiiif a church, and 

 the merits of this extraordinary engraver, and to confirm houfes two floric^ high in his Paradife, who rtiall tlirow 

 the general and juftly merited praife which has now, for the firft ftone at Albert Durer ? The boles of his trees, 

 three centuries, been beftowed on Albert Durer. though among the tirfl, if not the very fu-ft that were c>er 



Tl'.e refemblances between the feveral objcfts which this engraven, have much of the truth of indiiidual nature, and 

 mafter has introduced into his engravings, and their arche- their foliage, and the fiu- of the cat, are exprelled with a 

 types in nature, proceed, for the moll part, too much upon degree of freedom that mull furprife thofe who reflect that 

 fac-limile principles for the gcner^ized dignity of his fub- no etching has been employed, and how companitivcly ill 

 jec^s ; and his powers of imitation are too prodigally lavilhed calculated are the deck and fliff lines of the i:nalTilled gra- 

 upon fubordinate and unelTential parts. ver to the exprcffio-.i of fi'.ch objefts. The introduction of 



Theexpreffion of his figureof" Melancholy,'' which v.ould the cat and nioufe in Paradife could not fail to btf undcr- 

 elfc have approached fublimity, is confiderably injured by Hood, from its famili;u-ity ; but though ingenious, this very 

 the introduction of a mulcitude of objetls, mod of which familiarity rendered it unfit for the occalion. The prophet 

 the mind does not readily aflimilate with the fentiment of Ifaiah has far more nobly exprefTed tl'.e priir.csval harmony 

 melancholy. It mull firil be perceived or difcovered, that and happinefs of the brute creation. 



thefe objefts are allufions to allrology, alchemy, and the The Eve of Albert Durer is apparently of the fame 



occult fciences, as they are called. The piTformance ad- family that Otho Veiiius, and Rubens, afterwards adopted 

 drelTcs itfelf, therefore, to the curious and inquifitive part for tiieir models ; and in the engraving which collectors 

 of mankind, and not to man : and as neither tlic eye nor the call " The Death's Head,'' is a female fio-ure, which Hill 

 niind can at once dilate with greatnefs and defcend to little- more evidently fhews the efteem in which Rubens mud 

 iicfs, it is evident that the refearch it requires mud be the have held the works, or at lead tlie women, of Albert 

 deilruftion of fuKlimity. Durer. It is not eafy to conceive the occafion that could 



Though there is nothing of the " holy calm,'' with which have given birth to this myderious print of Death's head. 

 Collins has furrounded his figure of melancholy, this com- It prefents us either the ordinary routine of human life in 

 polition may dill be thought intcreding on another account, allegory, or perhaps a fort of poetic armorial bearintr. The 

 namely, as a true picture of the times in which it was en- cred is a winged helmet, richly ornamented, and beautifullv 

 graven ; for precifely thus was attention perplexed and dif- executed ; and though a |]<ull, which one diould think could 

 trailed on mod philofophical fubjcdls inthe age of Albert not fail to be an awful monitor, is highly en^.bodcd on the 

 Durer ; and as he is author of fevcn treatifes, moll of which fliield, tiie female fupporter, hecdlefs of her charge, heedlcf* 

 are on the metaphyfics of art, he had probably experienced of the moral Icflbn, and of the moral characier Ihe has to 

 much of that fpecies of melancholy which proceeds from fuftain, is obvioufly lidening to the very fufpicious fug- 

 the mental exhaudion and diflatisfaftion in which fuch gedions of a fort of lavage man. It appears to be one of 

 ftudies often terminate. Regarded in this view, it is no the night thoughts of Albert Durer, and perhaps, like thofe 

 inapt verification of the old adage, " The painter paints of Dr. Young, may be intended to mark the lamentable 

 himfelf " It might have aflidcd to reconcile us to the de- influeiice of the groder pafTions. Whatever its author may 

 feels of this performance, if Albert Durer had named it have intended to mculcate by this print, its execution as an 

 Study ; or, if we could fancy the figure out of the picture, engraving is admirable. The helmet, with all its pomp of 

 we might be content to let our attention dwell awhile on the heraldic appendage, and the acluid and reflex lights on it* 

 (kill with which he has rcprefented mod of the other objedls, polilhed furface, are charackeridicnlly, though minutely, ex- 

 when abftraftedly and feverally confidered. This talent, pa'ded ; the (Itull is accurately drawn, and its bony fub- 

 howes-er, of reprefenting the iharatlcrs and textures of in- fiance is dcfcribed with a malierly hand; the author has 

 dividual objefls, is dill more confpicuous, and fomewhat lefs even feduloufly attended to the finer enamel of its two re- 

 objeftionable,iiitheprintof "St. Jerome in the Room, "where- maining teeth. The head of the favage, with its beard 

 ill all the objects are rendered with a fidelity little ftiort of the and wild redundance of fnaky tangled hair, has conf.derable 

 camera oblcura. Regarding the art as in its infancy, we and well-managed breadth of light and fhade, though it* 

 may look at this engraving with the fame kind of pleafure, characier is far lefs favage than Ihould feem to belong to 

 ( and we diould at all the works of art of this period, with the red of the figure : its exprefllon is, doubtlefs, meant to 

 the fame candid indulgence) with which Reynolds contcm- be afTumed and infinuating. The countenance of the female 

 plated " The Virgin and Child" by Van Eyck, in the cathe- has feldom been furpaded for that fuccelsful n-.ixture of 

 dral church of Bruges — "the artid,'' fays fir Jofiiua, characler and expredion that lends a willing ear to a delufive 

 " having accomplidied the purpofe he had in view.'' promile ; and the hands of both figures are far better 



Another of the mod celebrated, though not the bed, drawn than we have hitherto feen among the produclions of 

 of Durer's engravings, is his " Adam and Eve." He has, the German fchool : tiie drapery alfo, which we have been 

 in this inllance, had recourfe to nature for his models, but accuftomed to fee iliff, daiched, and complicated, is here 

 his Eve is not "the faired of her daughters," nor his relaxed into freedom and fimplicity, and is fo remarkable 

 "Adam the goodlied of men fince born:" yet we may for filky texture ; approaches fo near to what is now termed 

 perceive that he feledled from thenature with which he was ac- pictureiquc compcfilion of forms and light phJ friadc ; and 



Y 2 !S, 



