A History of Wood-Engraving

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A HISTORY OF WOOD-ENGRAVING

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by

H A R P E R   &   B R O T H E R S,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

All rights reserved.

PREFACE.

IN this book I have attempted to gather and arrange such facts as should be known to men of cultivation interested in the art of engraving in wood. I have, therefore, disregarded such matter as seems to belong rather to descriptive bibliography, and have treated wood-engraving, in its principal works, as a reflection of the life of men and an illustration of successive phases of civilization. Where there is much disputed ground, particularly in the early history of the art, the writers on whom I have relied are referred to, and those who adopt a different view are named; but where the facts seemed plain, and are easily verifiable, reference did not appear necessary.

In conclusion, I have the honor to acknowledge my obligations to the officers of the Boston Public Library, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Harvard College Library, for permission to reproduce several cuts in their possession; and to Mr. Lindsay Swift, of the Boston Public Library, for the list of authorities at the end of the volume. Especially it is my pleasant duty to thank Professor Charles Eliot Norton, of Harvard University, from whose curious and valuable collection more than half of these illustrations are derived, both for them and for suggestion, advice, and criticism, without which, indeed, the work could not have been written.

GEORGE EDWARD WOODBERRY.

CONTENTS.

I PAGE THE ORIGIN OF THE ART 13 II THE BLOCK-BOOKS 30 III EARLY PRINTED BOOKS IN THE NORTH 45 IV EARLY ITALIAN WOOD-ENGRAVING 65 V ALBERT DÜRER AND HIS SUCCESSORS 90 VI HANS HOLBEIN 116 VII THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF THE ART 135 VIII MODERN WOOD-ENGRAVING 151 A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL WORKS UPON WOOD-ENGRAVING
USEFUL TO STUDENTS 211 INDEX 217

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

[Some of the illustrations have been moved from inside of paragraphs for ease of reading. Clicking on the figure number in this list will take you to it. Click directly on the image to view it in a larger size. (n. etext transcriber)]

FIG.   PAGE 1. —From “Epistole di San Hieronymo Volgare.” Ferrara, 1497. (Initial letter) 13

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">2. —St. Christopher, 1423. From Ottley’s “Inquiry into the Origin and Early History of Engraving upon Copper and in Wood” 22 3. —The Crucifixion. From the Manuscript “Book of Devotion.” 1445 24 4. —From the “Epistole di San Hieronymo.” 1497. (Initial letter) 30 5. —Elijah Raiseth the Widow’s Son (1 K. xvii.). The Raising of Lazarus (Jno. xi.). Elisha Raiseth the Widow’s Son (2 K. iv.). From the original in the possession of Professor Norton, of Cambridge 34 6. —The Creation of Eve. From the fac-simile of Berjeau 35 7. —Initial letter. Source unknown 45 8. —The Grief of Hannah. From the Cologne Bible, 1470-’75 49 9. —Illustration of Exodus I. From the Cologne Bible, 1470-’75 51 10. —The Fifth Day of Creation. From Schedel’s “Liber Chronicarum.” Nuremberg, 1493 54 11. —The Dancing Deaths. From Schedel’s “Liber Chronicarum.” Nuremberg, 1493 56 12. —Jews Sacrificing a Christian Child. From Schedel’s “Liber Chronicarum.” Nuremberg, 1493 58 13. —Marginal Border. From Kerver’s “Psalterium Virginis Mariæ.” 1509 61 14. —From Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” Venice, 1518 (design, 1497). (Initial letter) 65 15. —The Creation. From the “Fasciculus Temporum.” Venice, 1484 68 16. —Leviathan. From the “Ortus Sanitatis.” Venice, 1511 68 17. —The Stork. From the “Ortus Sanitatis.” Venice, 1511 69 18. —View of Venice. From the “Fasciculus Temporum.” Venice, 1484 69 19.

—The Contest of Apollo and Pan. From Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” Venice, 1518 (design, 1497) 70 20. —Sirens. From the “Ortus Sanitatis.” Venice, 1511 71 21. —Pygmy and Cranes. From the “Ortus Sanitatis.” Venice, 1511 72 22. —The Woman and the Thief. From “Æsop’s Fables.” Venice, 1491 (design, 1481) 73 23. —The Crow and the Peacock. From “Æsop’s Fables.” Venice, 1491 (design, 1481) 75 24. —The Peace of God. From “Epistole di San Hieronymo Volgare.” Ferrara, 1497 76 25. —Mary and the Risen Lord. From “Epistole di San Hieronymo Volgare.” Ferrara, 1497 77 26. —St. Baruch. From the “Catalogus Sanctorum.” Venice, 1506 77 27. —Poliphilo by the Stream. From the “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.” Venice, 1499 78 28. —Poliphilo and the Nymphs. From the “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.” Venice, 1499 79 29. —Ornament. From the “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.” Venice, 1499 80 30. —Poliphilo meets Polia. From the “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.” Venice, 1499 81 31. —Nero Fiddling. From the Ovid of 1510. Venice 82 32. —The Physician. From the “Fasciculus Medicinæ.” Venice, 1500 83 33. —Hero and Leander. From the Ovid of 1515. Venice 85 34. —Dante and Beatrice. From the Dante of 1520. Venice 86 35. —St. Jerome Commending the Hermit’s Life. From “Epistole di San Hieronymo.” Ferrara, 1497 86 36. —St. Francis and the Beggar. From the “Catalogus Sanctorum.” Venice, 1506

valign="bottom">87 37. —The Translation of St. Nicolas. From the “Catalogus Sanctorum.” Venice, 1506 87 38. —Romoaldus, the Abbot. From the “Catalogus Sanctorum.” Venice, 1506 88 39. —From an Italian Alphabet of the 16th Century. (Initial letter) 90 40. —St. John and the Virgin. Vignette to Dürer’s “Apocalypse” 93 41. —Christ Suffering. Vignette to Dürer’s “Larger Passion” 94 42. —Christ Mocked. Vignette to Dürer’s “Smaller Passion” 95 43. —The Descent into Hell. From Dürer’s “Smaller Passion” 96 44. —The Herald. From “The Triumph of Maximilian” 100 45. —Tablet. From “The Triumph of Maximilian” 101 46. —The Car of the Musicians. From “The Triumph of Maximilian” 102 47. —Three Horsemen. From “The Triumph of Maximilian” 103 48. —Horseman. From “The Triumph of Maximilian” 107 49. —Virgin and Child. From a print by Hans Sebald Behaim. 113 50. —From the “Epistole di San Hieronymo.” Ferrara, 1497. (Initial letter) 116 51. —The Nun. From Holbein’s “Images de la Mort.” Lyons, 1547 123 52. —The Preacher. From Holbein’s “Images de la Mort.” Lyons, 1547 124 53. —The Ploughman. From Holbein’s “Images de la Mort.” Lyons, 1547 125

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@40638@[email protected]#ill_54" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">54. —Nathan Rebuking David. From Holbein’s “Icones Historiarum Veteris Testamenti.” Lyons, 1547 130 55. —From “Opera Vergiliana,” printed by Sacon. Lyons, 1517. (Initial letter) 135 56. —St. Christopher. From a Venetian print 142 57. —St. Sebastian and St. Francis. Portion of a print by Andreani after Titian 143 58. —The Annunciation. From a print by Francesco da Nanto 144 59. —Milo of Crotona. From a print by Boldrini after Titian 145 60. —From the “Comedia di Danthe.” Venice, 1536. (Initial letter) 151 61. —The Peacock. From Bewick’s “British Birds” 156 62. —The Frightened Mother. From Bewick’s “British Quadrupeds” 157 63. —The Solitary Cormorant. From Bewick’s “British Birds” 157 64. —The Snow Cottage 158 65. —Birth-place of Bewick. His last vignette, portraying his own funeral 158 66. —The Broken Boat. From Bewick’s “British Birds” 160 67. —The Church-yard. From Bewick’s “British Birds” 160 68. —The Sheep-fold. By Blake. From “Virgil’s Pastorals” 162 69. —The Mark of Storm. By Blake. From “Virgil’s Pastorals” 162 70. —Cave of Despair. By Branston. From Savage’s “Hints on Decorative Printing” 165 71. —Vignette from “Rogers’s Poems.” London, 1827

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@40638@[email protected]#page_167" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">167 72. —Vignette from “Rogers’s Poems.” London, 1827 167 73. —Death as a Friend. From a print by Professor Norton, of Cambridge. Engraved by J. Jungtow 169 74. —Death as a Throttler. From a print by Professor Norton, of Cambridge. Engraved by Steinbrecher 170 75. —The Creation. Engraved by J. F. Adams 172 76. —The Deluge. Engraved by J. F. Adams 173 77. —Butterflies. Engraved by F. S. King 175 78. —Spring-time. Engraved by F. S. King 177 79. —Mount Lafayette (White Mountains). By J. Tinkey 183 80. —“And silent were the sheep in woolly fold.” Engraved by J. G. Smithwick 187 81. —The Old Orchard. Engraved by F. Juengling 189 82. —Some Art Connoisseurs. Engraved by Robert Hoskin 191 83. —The Travelling Musicians. Engraved by R. A. Muller 194 84. —Shipwrecked. Engraved by Frank French 196 85. —The Tap-room. Engraved by Frank French 198 86. —Going to Church. Engraved by J. P. Davis 199 87. —“Nay, Love, ’tis you who stand with almond clusters in your clasping hand.” Engraved by T. Cole 201 88. —The Spanish Peasant. Engraved by F. Juengling 203 89. —James Russell Lowell. Engraved by Thomas

Johnson 205 90. —Arthur Penrhyn Stanley. Engraved by G. Kruell 207