LOW COUNTRIES, ENGRAVERS OF THE. 



fet of fourteen plates, of oftavo fize. The four Evangelifts, 

 occupied in writing the gofpel, lialf-lenf;;th figures, in 8vo. 

 St. Peter and St Paul, half-lfngth figures, oftavo fize. 

 Another plate of the faints " Peter and Paul," in a land- 

 fcape ; a very fine engraving, dated 1527. " The Conver- 

 fion of St. Paul," a very grand compofition, in large folio, 

 dated 1509. " Saint Clirittopher," in which he appears fit- 

 ting at the foot of a rock, on the banks of a river : on one 

 fide of the faint, in the back-ground, is a hermit, coming out 

 of his cell with a lantern. This print is one of the earlieft 

 produftions of Lucas, done apparently about the year 1508, 

 of oftavo fize. " Saint Chriftopher in the Water, with 

 the Infant Chrift on his Shoulders," a fniall print. 



Albert Durer engraved and publiihed the fame fubjeft in 

 ihe courfe of the fame year, and it is fuppofedthe two artitls 

 worked in concurrence. " St. John the Baptift,'' dated 

 1513, " The Decollation of St. John the Baptift," both 

 in oftavo ; " St. Jerome," the head furrounded with rays 

 of glory, fitting in an akove, with a fliuU before him. Lucas 

 engraved this fubjeft three times ; but the print which is 

 treated in the belt manner is dated I5'2I, in quarto. " St. 

 Sebaftian," in which the holy martyr appears fattened to a 

 tree, with his body pierced by arrows, in oftavo, engraved 

 probably in the year 1508; " St. Antony," habited in a 

 long robe, with ii monk's cowl on his head, and a great 

 number of acceffories, in oftavo ; " The Temptation of 

 St. Antony," where he is reprcfented feated on a hillock be- 

 tween two trees, looking at a figure, whom he perceives to be 

 a female devil, from the horns flicking 'hrough her head 

 drefs. The back-ground is a mountainous landfcape, with 

 an old caftle ; a very fine print, dated Ijog, in quarto. 

 " St. Dominic," furrounded by rays of glory, holding a 

 ftafF, terminated by a crucifix : behind him is a dog, holding 

 in his mouth a flaming torch, in oftavo, engraved fome time 

 about the year I J 1 4. " St. Gerard Sagredius," a bilhop 

 and martyr, his head covered with an epifcopal mitre, fur- 

 rounded with rays of glory : he holds in his hand a heart 

 pierced with an arrow, oftavo. " St. Francis receiving the 

 Stigmatics," from a crucifix fufpended in the air: at the 

 bottom of the print is a Capuchin monk, fitting at the foot 

 of a tree, in oftavo. " St. George liberating the Princefs 

 of Antioch," whom he has refcued. In this, as in many 

 other old prints, the aftion is double : in other words, two 

 points of time are reprefented, for in the back-ground is 

 St. George combating the dragon, and the princefs chained 

 againft a rock ; engraved in 1J08. " Mary Magdalen en- 

 tering into worldly Pleafures," a celebrated print, of large 

 folio fize, known among the amateurs under the name of 

 " The Magdalen's Dance :" in one part of the print file is 

 reprefented dancing with a man to a flute and tambourin, 

 with various other groups : lower down file is reprefented 

 on horfeback, at the head of a troop of huntfmen ; and again 

 flying towards a wood with three men, one of whom founds 

 a horn : and towards the fummit of a rock is the foul of 

 the Magdalen ravilhed in the air by four angels. This fine 

 print was engraved about the year IC19, when the artill was 

 in his meridian. " The Magdalen in a Defert at the Foot 

 of a Rock ;" in the clouds is reprefented the eternal father 

 with a long beard, and a tiara on his head. This is without 

 date, but is doubtlefs one of the earlieft produftions of 

 Lucas, while his powers of drawing and compofition were 

 yet feeble, and is better engraved than it is defigned. " The 

 Magdalen ftanding on a Cloud, holding a Vafe :" to this 

 print has been iniftakenly given the appellation of " Pandora 

 lettingout the Evils of the World ;" it is datfd 1518, and of 

 oftavo fize. There is in cxiftence a print of this fubjeft, 

 marked with the initials I. V. M. which has been attributed 



10 



to Ifrael Von Mecheln ; hut, on comparifon, it appears to 

 be a bad copy of the engraving by Lucas, by an unknown 

 hand. " St. Catherine," a half-length figure, crowned with 

 rays of glory, leaning on a wheel, with a book and fword. 

 It is an etching, touched in fome parts with the graver, and 

 dated 1520. 



Profane Subjeds. — " Mahomet fleeping, with a Prieft mur- 

 dered by his Side, and another Figure fteahng his Sword," 

 a folio print, faid to be one of his earlieft produftions ; 

 the feven cardinal virtueo, fitting figures, each crowned 

 by an angel, dated 1550, ii/s. i. Faith. 2. Hope 5. Charity. 

 4. Prudence. 9. .Tuftice. 6, Fortitude. 7. Temperance. 

 " The Death of Lucretia," dated 151 2, which print is by 

 fome called " The Death of Dido," in oftavo ; " The 

 Death of Pyramus and Thifbe ;" " Tiie Poet "Virgil, 

 iufpended from a Window in a Baflcet, to the Derifion of 

 the Populace ;" a fmall folio print, executed with great 

 tafte and fpirit, and very correftly drawn, and well com- 

 pofed. Vafari, who fpeaks very iiighly of this print, 

 fays, that " Albert Durer was fo feniibly ftruck with 

 the merit of it, that he afterwards wifiied to concur with 

 Lucas in producing a pair ot prints that fhould correfpond 

 in form, moral, and dimenfions, to which defire we owe the 

 celebrated print of "Death's Horfe." The two prints do 

 correfpond in thefe refpefts : yet the inadvertency of Va- 

 fari in this place, which has been repeated by Huber and 

 Roft, has not hitherto been pointed out. To make any 

 thing credible of this ilory, the order of the fafts and per- 

 fons muft be reverfed ; for the '< Death's Horie" of Albert 

 Durer was produced to the public in the year 1513, 

 whereas Lucas of Leyden did not publifii his fufpended poet 

 till 1525 And what renders the non-deteftion of this error 

 the more furprifing and remarkable is, that both thefe en- 

 gravings bear their refpeftive dates ; the latter on a frag- 

 ment of broken ftone at the left-hand corner of the print, 

 the former immediately above the monogram of Albert on 

 his ufual tablet. 



The emulation muft, therefore, have been felt by Lucas, 

 and his engraving of " The Courtezan fufpending Virgil in a 

 Bafliet," which, of all his works, approaches neareft, in point 

 of ftyle, to this exquifitely finiflied print from the graver of 

 Durer, muft have been produced accordingly. 



The recondite moral and meaning of thefe compofitions, 

 and intentions of their authers, will then ftand thus. Albert 

 Durer had produced a juftly admired engraving, by fome 

 vulgarly termed " Death's Horfe." by others " The 

 Worldly Man," but wherein a cavalier, completely armed, 

 fallies forth on the bufinefs of Death. His fteed is richly 

 harnefled ; his helmet ftudded and wrought with ornaments ; 

 and his armour, in the fine irapreffions, appears as if of filver, 

 and of coftly workmanlhip. He is a hero, and perhaps in- 

 tended by Albert for fome Alexander, or individual general 

 of renown. Whilft he is gravely bent on the purfuit of 

 that glory which arifes from the deftruftion of his fellow 

 men, a crowned fpeftre, which feems intended for Death, 

 croffes the warrior's way : he is mounted on a male, holds up 

 an hour-glafs with an index before the hero, and feems to 

 feoff at his puipofe ; while a frightful monfter, with various 

 horns, like one of thofe mentioned in the Apocalypfe, and 

 which is probably intended for the Devil, follows hard after 

 him, intent and ready to fcize on his prey. The moral has 

 various acceffories, fuch as a lofty caftle in the back-ground, 

 and a lizard crawling in the road, whofe allegorical office is 

 to warn man of danger. A warning bell, too, hangs from 

 the neck of the mule, on which rides the fpeftre, while to 

 the capanion of the warrior's fteed, the jinghng bell of Folly 

 is appendant. 



It 



