Dry-Point. 



29 



drawings in a sketch book at Wolfegg ; but as the ' Hausbuch ' does not 

 seem to be enthelj the work of one hand, it is safer to keep the title, 

 which is taken from the collection richest in the master's rare prints. 

 Diirer then followed with three dry-points, one of which, the St. Jerome 

 in the Wilderness, shows an appreciation of the quality of the burr 

 hardly surpassed by Eembrandt. In Italy the method was practised, in 

 conjunction with etching, by Andrea Schiavone (Meldolla), (Sebenico, 

 Venice; 1522 ?-82). The surface quality of his prints, which frequently 

 show breakages in the original plates, has led to the surmise that he 

 used a softer kind of metal than copper, possibly pewter. 



Apart from these few names there are practically no examples of dry- 

 point before the time of Rembrandt (Leyden, Amsterdam ; 1606-69), 

 who used the process sometimes alone, but more often in conjunction 

 with etching. His earliest work was in pure etching, but from about 

 1640 dry-point appears with ever increasing frequency. 



After Eembrandt there are only isolated examples until the revival of 

 etching in the middle of the XlXth century. In the latter part of 

 the XYIIIth century there were Thomas "Worlidge (Bath, London; 

 1700-66) and Benjamin Wilson (London; 1721-88), but far more 

 remarkable work was done in the earlier part of the XlXth century by 

 Andrew^ Geddes (Edinburgh, London ; 1783-44), David Wilkie 

 (Edinburgh, London ; 1785-1841), and Edward Thomas Daniell 

 (1804-42). Since the middle of the XlXth century there are few of the 

 great etchers who have not also used dry-point. 



