LOW COUNTRIES, ENGRAVERS OF THE. 



It is altogether a profound piftured allegory, worthy of 

 ferious contemplation, and diftatcd by the fame mufe who 

 afterwards prompted Dr. Young to write 



•» Deaths (land, like Mercuries, in ev'ry way, 

 And kindly point us to our journey's end." 



It appears to the prefent writer, that, ftruck with this ex- 

 traordinary difplay of the various powers, as poet, painter, 

 and engraver, of his friend Durer, the Dutch artill became 

 laudably ambitious of defigning and executing a fit com- 

 panion to a production which mull doubtlcls have been very 

 popular ; and, accordingly, inftitutes and llimulates a com- 

 parifon between the love or lull of conqueft and falfe glory, 

 and that of woman, and with much ingenuity calls on the 

 fpedator to behold and balance their abfurd and pernicious 

 confequences. 



A piiftorial comparifon is thus provoked between the moral 

 confequences of the abufe of two potent pafllons ; and if it 

 might begranted that we perceive the little diftant figure, whom, 

 in the print of Lucas, the courtezan fufpends in a baflvet, 

 and expofes to the derifion of the populace, to be the poet 

 Virgil, the moral effefts wcmld be heightened by the reflec- 

 tion, that it is the organ of Fame, and difpenfer of terreftrial 

 immortality, who is thus himfelf made to appear infamous 

 and ridiculous, as in the print of Albert it is the deftroyer 

 who is the viftim. 



But of this it requires that the fpedlator be informed by 

 Lucas, or by Vafari ; for as the coilume and charafters (as 

 in all the works of this mailer) are perfedlly Dutch, no 

 other men would dream that a Imall diftant head, covered 

 with the mitre of epifcopacy, or the cap of folly, was that 

 of the Mantuan bard. 



This engraving is, however, with regard to compofition, 

 manual execution, high finifh, and aClions and expreffion 

 of the figures on the fore-ground, particularly that of the 

 principal male figure, one of the very bell of the works of 

 Lucas van Leyden. 



To quit this digreflion, and refume our lift of the fubjefts 

 which he has defigned and engraved from profane hiftory, 

 and his own fancy. " Venus, the beautiful Goddefs of 

 Love," a 4to. plate, dated 1528. A folio plate of " Mars 

 and Venus," with armour and an -attendant cupid, was 

 executed during the long illnefs of the artift ; as was alfo 

 «' The Goddefs Pallas," armed with her aegis and fpear. 

 The latter was the laft plate which he engraved, and it is 

 faid, that a ftiort time before he died, he requefted to fee 

 it ; upon which occafion it feems probable, that he ufed 

 thofe remarkable words, fo much to his honour as an artifl, 

 which we have cited in his biography. " A military 

 Officer difplaying a Flag." The attitude of the figure is 

 very fpirited and foldier-hke, and the print altogether is 

 very beautifully finiftied ; both are of oftavo fize. " Four 

 Soldiers in a Foreft," without a date, but probably en- 

 graven about the year 1508. A very fine print of a young 

 man at the head of a party of foldiers, liftening attentively 

 to a man, with his hat in his hand : on each fide is repre- 

 fented a group of three men converfing. " The Beggars," 

 one of whom receives a platter from the other : the group is 

 completed by a female figure, with her hfand on her brcaft. 

 This print appears to have been engraven about the year 

 1508. " The Promenade:" the back-gcound reprefents a 

 manfion fituated at the foot of a mountain, which terminates 

 the view, dated 1J20. " The Earl and Lady, with a 

 Falcon :" this is drily executed, and appears to have been 

 engraven" about the year 1508. " The Wood Nymph," 

 ihe is walking with a peafaot, and another figure condui^ting 



Vol. XXL 



them ; all of o£lavo fize. [Note. — There is a copy of the 

 Wood Nymph, engraved by Wicrix at the age of twelve.] 

 A man witli a lighted torch, condudting a female, followed 

 by a man with a fabre, and a club acrofs his flioulder : this 

 print is very delicately executed, apparently about the year 

 IJ08. A female figure prefenting a vafe to a man ; the 

 landfcape is terminated by a mountain, the fummit of which 

 is crowned with an ancient caftle, dated 1520, of oftavo 

 fize. " The Pilgrims," confifting of three figures, quarto 

 fize; "The wedding Ring," reprefenting a man giving a 

 ring into the hand of a young woman, feated by his fide. 

 This rare print is etched in a firm ftyle, dated in 152^, and 

 diftinguifhed by the neatnefs of the execution, in quarto. 

 " The Fool," reprefcnting a female figure, defending her- 

 felf from the embraces of a fool, charadlerifed by his drefs 

 and baubles, both half-length figures. This is an etching, 

 nightly touched with the graver, and dated 1520. " The 

 old Man with a Bunch of Grapes," a half-length profile. 

 This print is admirably touched, and appears to have been 

 done about the year 1523, when the artift was in his meri- 

 dian. " The young Trumpeter," reprefcnting a boy blow- 

 ing a trumpet, to the found of which two others are danc- 

 ing ; one of the earlieft produftions of Lucas. " The 

 Woman and the Bitch," rcprefenting a female with her 

 head enveloped with drapery, the ends of which hang in 

 folds over her body ; towards the left are perceived the head 

 and foot of a bitch, whom the lady is feeding with fruit. 

 This print is executed on a white ground, and dated 1509; 

 Another "Woman and Dog," dated 1510; " The Mufi- 

 cians," a very fine print, dated 1524, confifting of a man 

 playing a guitar, and a woman playing a violin ; " The 

 Surgeon," performing an operation behind the ear of a pea- 

 fant, whofe countenance tells us plainly how much he fuffers, 

 dated the fame as the preceding; " The quack Doftor," 

 operating with an inftrument in the mouth of a peafant, who 

 with great vexation perceives that, during the operation, a 

 girl behind him is emptying his purfe of its contents. This 

 print pofTefles equal merit with the two former, and is dated 

 I5'23 ; all of odlavo dimenfions. " The Milkmaid," 

 holding in one hand her bonnet, and in the other a pail, 

 into which fhe is about to milk a cow held by a peafant. 

 This is a very rare print, dated 15 10, of quarto fize. 

 " Uylenfpiegel," or " L'Efpiegle," the fcarceft of all 

 the works of this matter. It was in the collcdion of the 

 king of France, and miftakenly faid by Marolies, and other 

 French connoiffeurs, to be unique. Baffan informs us, that 

 M. Mariette had alfo an imprelHon of this plate, and feveral 

 are known to exiil in England. It reprefents a man playing 

 upon the bag-pipes, carrying two children in a balket, and 

 a woman with an infant in her arms. It is nearly feven - 

 inches and a half high, by four inches and three quarters 

 wide; and has been copied of the fame fize feveral times.. 

 One of the copies is by Hondius ; but the bell has no name' 

 to it. This rare print is dated 1520. 



Various Ornaments. — The profile of a jvarrior's head in a 

 medallion, furrounded with ornaments. It is dated 1527, 

 and marked with the letter L, on a cartouche at the bottom. 

 A compofition of ornaments in the talle of that age, com- 

 pofed of a ram's fltuU and two filh, dated 1527. Another 

 compofition of ornaments, with a Mercur)' fitting between 

 two fphinxes, folio fize, dated IJ2S. A pannel of orna- 

 ments, compofed of a marine deity with a trident, fur- 

 rounded by firens and chimerx, executed on a black 

 ground, in oftavo, and dated 1J28. " The Infant Wsrc 

 riors, ' one of whom difplays a flag, and the other carries 

 a helmet ; and «' The Arms of the Citv of Levden," in a 

 3 L ' Tnall 



