LOW COUNTRIES, ENGRAVERS OF THE. 



latter art by a procefs that is known to few if any of its 

 modern praftitioners. He connrionly marked his works 

 with the fort of Gothic L, which will be found in our fird 

 plate of the monograms, S:c. of the engravers of the Low 

 Countries, fomctimes adding the date of the year, and in- 

 fcribing both on a tablet. 



Vafari fays, that " perhaps Lucas equals any of the heft; 

 artills in the management of the graver; that his hillorical 

 fubjects are executed with great truth, and that he knew 

 well how to group his figures without creating confufion in 

 his prints ;" but is certainly too loud in his praife, where he 

 adds, that " he furpaffed Durer in compofitioi!, and fucceeded 

 in reprefenting aerial perfpeftive with the graver, as well as 

 could have been done with the aflillance of colour." 



A jutter eftimate of his merits may be found in the bio- 

 graphical diftionary of our countryman Strutt, who affirms 

 that his ity e of engraving differed coiiiiderably from that 

 of Albert Durer, and feems evidently to have been founded 

 upon the works-of If|;ael van Mecheln. His prints are very 

 neat and clear, but without any powerful effeft. The 

 ftrokcs are as fine and as delicate upon the objeils in the 

 front, as upon thofe in the diftances ; and this want of va- 

 riety, joined with the feeblenefs of the maffes of (hadow, 

 give his engravings, with all their neatnefs, an unliniihed ap- 

 pearance, much unlike the firm, fubftantial efTeft, which we 

 find in the works of Albert Durer. He was attentive to 

 the minutiae of his art. Every thing is carefully made out 

 in his prints, and no part of them is neglefted. His figures 

 are generally tali and thin ; the attitudes well chofen, and 

 frequently graceful and elegant. In thefe he followed na- 

 ture fimply, without afFettation. He gave great character 

 and expreffion to the heads of his figures ; but on examina- 

 tion of his works, we find the fame heads too often repeated. 

 The hands and feet rather mannered than correct ; and when 

 he attempted to draw the naked figure, he fucceeded but 

 indifferently. He alfetled to make the folds of his draperies 

 long and flowing ; but his fe.male figures are frequently fo 

 excefiively loaded with girdles, bandages, and other orna- 

 mental trappings, that much of fhe elegance of the defign 

 is loft ; and that native limplicity, which is, as it were, the 

 very foul of painting, is deilroyed. 



To Adam Bartfch of the Imperial hbrary at Vienna, tiie 

 public is indebted for a catalogue raifonne of nearly two hun- 

 dred of the engravings of this matter, all of which are the 

 produce of his own fertile invention. About twenty wood- 

 cuts have alfo been afcribed to him, but of which he was pro- 

 bably only the defigner. Mariette, however, poflelTed two 

 hundred and thirty of his prints. 



As nothing like an Englifh catalogue has yet appeared, we 

 fhall name as many as we are able, beginning with thofe fub- 

 jefts which he has taken 



From the Old Tejlament .—''■ The Hiftory of the Creation, 

 and the Fall of our firil Parents," in a fet of fix fine prints 

 of fmall folio fize, engraven AD. 1529; of which the fub- 

 are, i. God, (represented by the figure of an old man,) 

 creating Eve during the Sleep of Adam. 2. God laying the 

 Injunction on Adam and Eve not to touch the forbidden 

 Fruit. 3. Eve, feduced by the Serpent, perfuading Adam 

 to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life. 4. Adam and Eve 

 expelled from Paradife. 5. Cain flaying Abel. 6. Adam 

 and Eve deploring the Death of Abel, who is extended before 

 them. " Adam and Eve, Fugitives, after being turned out 

 of the terrellrial Paradife," In 4to. fize. Lucas has treated 

 " The Trefpafs of Eve," and « The Death of Abel," in a 

 different manner, on fix fmall plates ; " Lamech ftanding, 

 bending his Bow, and Abel fitting at the Foot of a Tree, with 

 'lie Jaw-bone of an Afs before him," in 8vo. ; " Abraham 



and the three Angels," of quarto fize ; " Lot and h» 

 Daughters efcaping from the burning City," a very fine en- 

 graving, dated I<f3o, companion to " The Sin of Adam 

 and Eve," in fmall folio ; " Abraham fending awaj- Hagar 

 and Ifhmael/' a middhng-fized plate, lengthways, dated 

 icio ; and known among dealers by the name of the large 

 Hagar. The fame fubjett otherwile treated, called the 

 little Hagar, of 4to. fize, dated 1516. The Hiftory of 

 Jofeph, in .five 410. prints, dated 1512 ; and of which the 

 fubjects are, i . Jofeph recounting his Dreams to his Brethren. 

 2. .Jofeph folicited by the Wife of Potiphar. 3. The Wife 

 of Potiphar accufing Jofeph. 4 Jofeph in Priion, explain- 

 ing the Dreams of the Officers. 5. Jofeph interpreting the 

 Dreams before Pharoah. " The Daughter of Jephtha meet- 

 ing her Father," one of the earlieft productions of Lucas, 

 engraved fome time about the year 1508 ; " Dalila cutting 

 off Sampfon's Hair," " David and Goliah," and " David 

 playing the Harp before Saul," all in folio ; " David fup- 

 phcating in behalf of his People," a large print. The fame 

 fubjeft differently treated, an etching, dated in 1520. " So- 

 lomon worfliipping the Idols," in quarto ; " iifther before 

 king Ahafuerus," a large folio plate ; the proof of which, 

 in the royal coUeftion at Paris, coft two hundred and fifteen 

 livres, according to the note of P. Mariette written at the 

 back of the print. «' Sufannah and the Elders," of 410, 

 fize, dated ijoS. 



Subjeds from the Netv Tejlament. — " St. Joachin3 em- 

 bracing St. Anne," dated 1520; "The Annunciation," 

 " The Vifitation," both of ottavo fize ; " The Adoration 

 of the Magi :" this is efteemed one of the moft confiderable 

 works of the mafter, it is dated 15 13; and of large folio 

 fize. " The Repole during the FUght into Egypt ;" " Jefus 

 baptized in the River Jordan," a very grand compofition, 

 containing a very numerous affemblaee of figures, and en- 

 graved about the year 1510 ; "Jefus tempted by Satan in 

 the Defart," dated iJiS, all of quarto fize ; " The Refur- 

 reCtion of Lazarus," a grand compofition, engraved in the 

 year 1508. foho (ize ; " The PafGon of our Saviour," re- 

 prefented in fourteen plates, engraved A.D. 15 2 1, and en- 

 titled as follows, ti/z;. i . The Laft Supper. 2. Jefus on the 

 Mount of Olives. 3. Our Saviour feized in the Garden of 

 Olives. 4. Our Saviour taken before the High Prieft- 

 J. Jefus reviled. 6. The Flagellation. 7. Jefus crowned 

 with Thorns. 8. Jefus expofed to the People. 9. Chrift 

 bearing the Crofs. 10. The Crucifixion. I i . The Defcent 

 from the Crofs. }2. Our Saviour laid in the Sepulchre. 

 13. The Defcent into Hell. 14. The Refufcitation. An- 

 other fet of "The Paffion of our Saviour,' in nine circular 

 plates, eight inches in diameter. A ^and " Ecce Homo,"' 

 very rich in compofition, containing more than a hundred 

 figures, one of the beft engravings of Lucas, dated r^io, in 

 large folio. " Jefus-Chrift on the Crofs, between the two- 

 Thieves," a very fine print, nearly as rich in compofition as- 

 the preceding, having twenty-four figures admirably group- 

 ed : the gi;od impreffions of this plate are very feldom to be 

 met with, it is dated 15 17, and in large folio. "Our Saviour ap- 

 pearing to Mary Magdalen as a Gardener," ' both half .Sgures, 

 placed before the fepulchre, in 410. and dated 1 5 19 r '*^The 

 Return t f the Prodigal Son," a folio print, admirable for the 

 fpirited execution of the back-ground and fmall figures, en- 

 graved A.D. 1510. 



Various Devotional Suljeas.— " The Virgin and Child, ac- 

 companied by St. Anne," dated 1516; " The Virgin and; 

 Child, ftanding on a Bifhop's Crozier ;" " The Virgin and 

 Infant Jefus," 1514 ; "A Holy F'amily," in quarto; 

 " The Virgin and Holy Infant, contemplated by two- 

 Angels," in quarto. Jefus Chrift and his twelve apoftles, in a 



