Line-Engraving. 



21 



The Master of the Death of Mary. 

 The Master of the Gardens of Love. 

 The Master of the Mount of Calvary. 



The Master of the Banderoles (also called the Master of the 

 year 1464). 



The Master of the Berlin Passion (not to be confused with the 

 Master of 1446). Has been identified with the father of Israhel van 

 Meckenem. 



Far more accomplished and prolific than any of the preceding is The 

 Master E. S. The dates 1466 and 1467 occur on some of his prints, but 

 his early work may reasonably be placed at least as early as 1450. 



Of a somewhat later generation is Martin Sehongauer (Colmar ; 

 about 1445-91), who forms the chief link in the development from E. S; 

 to Diirer. As an artist of expressive power, he far surpassed E. S., who 

 was still eminently a craftsman. 



The following may -be cited as the chief masters of Germany and the 

 Netherlands of about the same generation as Sehongauer : 



The Master B. M. 



The Master LC^ , 



The Master A. Q. 

 The Master P M. 



The Master of the Boeeaceio Illustrations (Bruges, 1476). 



The I A M of Zwolle. 

 Allart du Hameel. 



The Master F V B (Franz von Bocholt?). 

 Israhel van Meckenem. Bocholt. d. 1503. 



Still archaic in style, but of about the same generation as Diirer, are 

 the following : 



Nieolaus Alexander Mair, Landshut. Worked about 1600. 



The Master M. Z. (Matthaus Zasinger?). Worked about 1500. 



In Italy the earliest engraver whose name is known is Maso 

 Finiguerra (Florence ; 1426-64). Vasari in his ' Lives of the Painters ' 

 calls him the inventor of engraving, describing how the art developed 

 from the i^ractice of niello. There is no question that the technical 

 character of niello and line-engraving are closely allied, and Finiguerra 

 probably took up line-engraving after working as a goldsmith in niello. 

 But he cannot be regarded as the inventor of an art, which is proved to 

 have been practised in Germany before 1446 (when Finiguerra was 

 twentj^). And there is a group of early Florentine engravings by the 

 Master of the Larger Vienna Passion, which one may reasonably 

 date somewhat before any of the prints which can be attributed to 

 Finiguerra. 



The British Museum possesses one of the largest collections of the very 

 rare early Italian engravings, and also some niello plates, and several of 



The Master 



