Studio: international art (34.1905)

Reviews

It forms an excellent book of reference, and is of real
value to the student by reason of the immense
amount of information contained between its covers.

Volkstiimliche Kunst. Vol. VI. (Leipzig: Martin
Gerlach & Co.)—Old German houses, furniture,
gateways, monuments, stonework, ironwork, and
pottery are represented in this work by a large
number of well-selected photographs, reproduced
in half-tone and nicely printed. The result is an
attractive scrapbook, of interest alike to the archaeo-
logist and architect. Beyond the titles of the
subjects and a short introduction, there is no letter-
press.

The Oriental Rug. By W. W. Ellwanger.
(London : Gay & Bird.) xos. 6d. net.—So little
has been written about Oriental rugs that a mono-
graph dealing with the subject from a practical, as
well as an artistic, point of view deserves a welcome
by the numerous admirers of these most delight-
ful works of art. Mr. Ellwanger deals more
especially with Turkish and Persian varieties ; and,
with the exception of a few omissions—notably of
the superbly coloured and patterned Khoten or so-
called Yarkand rugs—the choicest varieties are
described and illustrated. Mr. Ellwanger writes
sympathetically upon his subject, and the coloured
illustrations are good.

The Log of the Griffin. By Donald Maxwell.
With Illustrations by the Author and Cottington
Taylor. (London : John Lane.) \os. 6d. net.—
It is somewhat difficult for the lay reader to under-
stand exactly what purpose was served by the
extraordinary voyage of the " Griffin" from Lake
Zurich to Teddington, or the reasonableness of
building a boat at an inland village, necessitating
its cartage for many miles. Nevertheless, the
account of the evolution of the queer craft and of
its adventures cannot fail to amuse, if it does
not instruct. Some few of the drawings that
elucidate the text—notably those of Alt Briesach,
and Cologne with the Bridge of Boats — all
reproduced in colour, are excellent, and have a
touch of poetry about them; but most of the
others, especially those of Veere and Middelburgh,
are rather too sketchy to give any real idea of the
places they are intended to represent.

The Drawings of Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
By T. Martin Wood. (London : George Newnes.)
7-f. 6d. net.—Belonging as he did to the famous
group of poet-painters who in the latter half of the
nineteenth century gave to themes long considered
outworn a new interpretation, Sir Edward Burne-
Jones yet stood completely alone in certain
qualities of his work. He never, for instance,
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owed anything to illusion or was content in his
preliminary sketches with suggestion, and for this
reason, as is well pointed out by Mr. Wood in the
scholarly essay accompanying the fine series of
reproductions of his drawings just published, those
drawings afford a very complete index to the stages
of technical advancement of the artist. " It is in
his drawings," says Mr. Martin Wood, " that Burne-
Jones reaches his highest perfection of beauty . . .
he was able to invest his studies with much of the
meaning of his completed paintings, and to convey
to others some of the sheer pleasure he found in
such things as the folded petals of flowers and the
embroidery on robes and dresses." Carefully
selected and well reproduced, though in a few
cases losing something of their charm through
over-reduction, the drawings here collected include
typical examples of a great variety, such as the
Courtesy and Frankness from the " Romance of
the Rose," several illustrations for the "^Eneid"and
the " Masque of Cupid," the exquisitely beautiful
Nativity of St. John's Church, Torquay, and the
wonderful Portrait of Paderewski, with numerous
studies of hands, drapery, etc., all full of value to
the student and of delight to those who can
appreciate their delicate beauty of form and
remarkable force of expression.

The Drawings of Albrecht Diirer. By Professor
Hans Singer. (London : George Newnes.) js. 6d.
net.—In spite of the closeness with which Professor
Hans Singer has studied the drawings of Albrecht
Diirer, it can scarcely be claimed that he has
succeeded in fully grasping the characteristics that
render them unique. Moreover, in his efforts to
be strictly faithful to his own convictions he com-
mits himself to several assertions that will hardly
pass unchallenged. However, the fine series of
reproductions of typical drawings and studies that
accompany this somewhat hypercritical essay speak
for themselves, and will be the delight of all true
appreciators of Diirer, who was indeed a master
spirit, one of the greatest artists, perhaps the greatest
designer, who ever lived, combining with originality
of conception a complete control over the language
,of art, so that nearly everything from his hand,
whether a mere outline drawing or a highly elabor-
ated composition, eloquently expresses his meaning.

Tintoretto. By Mrs. Arthur Bell. (London :
Newnes' Art Library.) 3s. 6d. net.—We have
noticed in these pages several preceding volumes
of this excellent series, and the remarks which we
made then, as to the extreme usefulness of the
books and of their value to the student, we are
glad to emphasise. It is impossible to look