i74 



THOMAS BEWICK. 



tions of an elephant, a lion, a zebra, and a tiger, and are now rarely met 

 with. Before the blocks were handed to Pidcock there were printed 250 of 

 the elephant, 200 of the tiger, and 150 each of the zebra and the lion. 

 These were also re-engraved subsequently, probably as exercises by his 

 more advanced apprentices, either Temple or Nicholson, receiving general 

 supervision, and most likely a few finishing touches, by Bewick. 



The Elephant here reproduced has been copied from a very rare impres- 

 sion on India paper in the possession of Professor Corfield. It is one of the 

 second series of the cuts, and is reversed from Bewick's first block. It is 

 given as a contrast to the Chillingharn Bull, which, from the richness of 

 the foliage and the border, makes a far more successful print. It is to be 

 observed that the block was engraved almost entirely without cross-hatching, 

 the little that is done being with the white line, and not, as most modern 

 engravers would execute it, with the black. For a young engraver no 

 better lesson could be found than to copy this in fac-simile. 



The Tiger and Zebra were also done twice ; the first Tiger without any 

 background ; the Zebra with very little foreground, the second of the same 

 having some plants. The Lion was afterwards three times engraved : the 

 original has its head to the right and its tail elevated, glaring furiously 

 at some supposed object in the foreground ; the second was similar, but 

 reversed ; the third was commenced by Harvey and finished by the master, 

 the head to the right, the appearance of hair being rather unsatisfactory ; the 

 fourth has the head also to the right, and some foliage is introduced : of it 

 only a very few were printed. 



One of each of these was published in 1 800, by Pidcock, in a second 

 edition of notes on his animals, where the engravings are said to have been 

 executed by Bewick. In this the Elephant looks to right (being the one repro- 

 duced) ; the Tiger to the left ; the Zebra to the left ; and the Lion to the right. 

 Hugo, in the "Bewick Collector," gives other details of these large blocks. 



