The artists repository and drawing magazine: exhibiting the principles of the polite arts in their various branches (4.1790)

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ccce homo, with a madona and child, two fmall plates,
are faid to be among his earlieft productions. They
axe dated 1625. He principally excelled in drawing
geometrical and perfpective views and plans of build-
ings, ancient and modern cities and towns ; alfo land-
fcapes, and every kind of natural and artificial curiofi-
ties 5 which he executed with a pen, in a very peculiar
ffyle, excellently well adapted to the purpofe. He
travelled through feveral of the great cities of Germany ;
and notwithftanding all his merit, met with fo little
encouragement, that he found it very difficult to fupport
himfelf. The earl of Arundel, being in Germany, took
him under his protection, brought him to England, and
recommended him to the favour of Charles the Firfb
He engraved a variety of plates from the Arundel col-
lection, and the portrait of the earl himfelf on horfe-
hack.

The civil wars, which happened foon after in Eng-
land, ruined his fortune- He was taken prifoner, with
fome of the royal party, and with difficulty efcaped:
when he returned to Antwerp, and joined his old pa-
tron, the earl of Arundel. He fettled in that city for a
time, and publifhed a confiderable number of plates;
but his patron going to Italy foon after, for the benefit
of his health, Hollar fell again into diftrefs, and was
obliged to work for the print and bookfellers of An-
twerp, at very low prices.

At the reftoration of Charles II. he returned into
England, where, though he had fufficient employment,
the prices he received for his engravings were fo greatly
inadequate to the labour neceffarily required, that he
could but barely fubfift. And the plague, with the

fuc~