GRAPHICS. 165 
and who indeed frequently surpass the latter in thorough technical know- 
ledge of their art. It would lead us too far were we to undertake to 
enumerate all the artists who have distinguished themselves in xylography 
in Germany: among them are Unzelmann, Kretzschmar, Vogel, Georgy, 
Braun, Flegel, Deis, Ehrhardt, Rietschel von Hartenbach, &c. The greatest 
progress in recent times has been effected by Kretzschmar ; for while most 
of his fellow-artists devote themselves to rapid execution, and the producing 
of effect in the service of the book trade, Kretzschmar has striven to obtain 
recognition for the true art that lies in wood engraving, and to prevent 
xylography from becoming the mere handmaid of typography. His wood 
engravings for D’Alton’s Anatomy are true works of art; and his splendid 
xylographic production, the Death of Gustavus Adolphus, after a design 
by Kirchhof, is probably the largest wood-cut ever executed on one block. 
In this work the art has probably attained to its highest pitch. 
A subordinate branch of wood-cutting is formed by the preparation of the 
blocks for paper-hangings and calico-printing, in which the principal lines 
of the pattern carved in relief on pear-tree wood, and little figures, vines, 
&e., are cut out of brass and driven into the block. Here too there is a 
sort of camayeusx, since for calico from four to eight, and for paper-hangings 
as many as thirty blocks are used for as many different colors, which certainly 
produces very beautiful results. 
C. Engraving in Metals. 
The art of engraving designs in metals in intaglio was known to the most 
ancient nations: many examples of such engravings are mentioned in the 
Bible and in the writings of the ancients, and also of the practice of filling 
up the engravings in one metal with another metal, so that, e. g. silver and 
steel were inlaid with gold. The so called mzello-work was very much 
admired in the middle ages. The design was engraved in silver, and the 
sunken lines were filled with a composition of 1 oz. of fine silver, 2 oz. of 
refined copper, and 3 oz. of lead, to which virgin sulphur and borax were 
added as a flux. The molten mass was then poured upon the heated plate, 
which was afterward scraped and polished off till the engravings appeared 
sharp and black upon the shining ground. In this process originated the 
art of copper-plate engraving. 
1. Copprr-pLate Eneravine. This is the art of transferring a design to 
a copper-plate, so as to admit of its being multiplied by impression. 
Tomaso Finiguerra, a skilful goldsmith, wishing to try the effect of a plate 
engraved for niello, had smoked it and then polished it again; so that the 
soot only filled the engraved lines, as the niello composition was intended 
to do afterwards. The idea occurred to him of laying over it a damp sheet 
of paper and passing over the latter a soft brush, by which means he 
obtained a reversed impression of the plate. This took place in the year 
1452, and the transition from niello-work to copper-plate engraving was 
easily made. So the matter is related by some, and the story seems not 
improbable; but Vasari says that the artist, in order to preserve a model 
of his work, made a mould of it in sand and then took a sulphur cast, 
549 
