DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.28460#0186
Division B.—Dotted Prints.
161
The history of the eriticism of this style of engraving is very Some mis-
largely a history of French blunders. Among these none are more earfy critks of
remarkable than the theory of Leon de Laborde 1 that the maniere the dotted
criblee was the very earliest style of engraving, and the attempt of l3nnts-
Henri Delaborde 2 to prove that two <£ dotted prints ” in the Biblio-
theque Nationale (Schr. 2302, 2442) date from the year 1406. These
gentlemen raised a cloud of dust which time has allowed to settle, and
there is no need to stir it again. Duplessis was hardly more fortunate
in his assumption that a large number of these prints were produced
in France.3 The maniere criblee may, no doubt, have been practised in
that country,4 but an overwhelming majority of the examples which Countries
are known are of Flemish or German origin. This may be proved in thisstyleof
different cases either by the origin of the book or manuscript in engravingwas
which the prints were found, by the language of the inscriptions on l)ia< tlsed'
the prints themselves, or the language and type of the printed text
with which, in rare cases only, they are associated, or, lastly, by the
internal evidence of certain peculiarities or tricks of style which
connect them with a local scliool of art. This last kind of evidence
is seldom forthcoming, for such peculiarities are merged, as a rule, in
the strongly marked characteristics which belong to tliis style of
engraving in general, wherever it was practised. Where evidence of
any of these kinds is available, it is discussed in the catalogue wliich
follows, in the remarks appended to the description of each print.
On the whole, it would seem that the principal home of the “dotted”
style was Cologne. It was also practised lower down the PJiine, in
Holland and in Flanders ; on the upper Ehine, in Alsace, and in
South Germany, in Suabia and Bavaria. It seems very unlikely that
it was practised in Italy (see, however, Schreiber on nos. 2470 and
2682). I shall describe below a book printed in Spain, which was
illustrated by this process.
It is seldom that any inference as to locality can be drawn from Tke coloui-3
the colouring of these prints. They are generally, though not used-
invariably, coloured, in spite of their elaborate decoration and the
attention paid by the engravers to shading and texture. The range
of colours is much more limited than in the case of woodcuts, and it
seems, like certain peculiarities in the design, to have been common
to the whole style, at least in Germany, and not much governed by
1 L,Artiste. 2e Serie. Tome 4 (1839), p. 113.
2 Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1869, i, 238. See tke criticism ky Dr. T. Lippmann,
Repertorium f. Kunstwissenschaft, i, 247.
3 “ Histoire de la Gravure en France,” 1861, pp. 54-7.
4 Sckreiber suggests tkis in the case of nos. 2296 and 2716. I kave not seen tkese
prints and can offer no opinion about tkem.
M
161
The history of the eriticism of this style of engraving is very Some mis-
largely a history of French blunders. Among these none are more earfy critks of
remarkable than the theory of Leon de Laborde 1 that the maniere the dotted
criblee was the very earliest style of engraving, and the attempt of l3nnts-
Henri Delaborde 2 to prove that two <£ dotted prints ” in the Biblio-
theque Nationale (Schr. 2302, 2442) date from the year 1406. These
gentlemen raised a cloud of dust which time has allowed to settle, and
there is no need to stir it again. Duplessis was hardly more fortunate
in his assumption that a large number of these prints were produced
in France.3 The maniere criblee may, no doubt, have been practised in
that country,4 but an overwhelming majority of the examples which Countries
are known are of Flemish or German origin. This may be proved in thisstyleof
different cases either by the origin of the book or manuscript in engravingwas
which the prints were found, by the language of the inscriptions on l)ia< tlsed'
the prints themselves, or the language and type of the printed text
with which, in rare cases only, they are associated, or, lastly, by the
internal evidence of certain peculiarities or tricks of style which
connect them with a local scliool of art. This last kind of evidence
is seldom forthcoming, for such peculiarities are merged, as a rule, in
the strongly marked characteristics which belong to tliis style of
engraving in general, wherever it was practised. Where evidence of
any of these kinds is available, it is discussed in the catalogue wliich
follows, in the remarks appended to the description of each print.
On the whole, it would seem that the principal home of the “dotted”
style was Cologne. It was also practised lower down the PJiine, in
Holland and in Flanders ; on the upper Ehine, in Alsace, and in
South Germany, in Suabia and Bavaria. It seems very unlikely that
it was practised in Italy (see, however, Schreiber on nos. 2470 and
2682). I shall describe below a book printed in Spain, which was
illustrated by this process.
It is seldom that any inference as to locality can be drawn from Tke coloui-3
the colouring of these prints. They are generally, though not used-
invariably, coloured, in spite of their elaborate decoration and the
attention paid by the engravers to shading and texture. The range
of colours is much more limited than in the case of woodcuts, and it
seems, like certain peculiarities in the design, to have been common
to the whole style, at least in Germany, and not much governed by
1 L,Artiste. 2e Serie. Tome 4 (1839), p. 113.
2 Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1869, i, 238. See tke criticism ky Dr. T. Lippmann,
Repertorium f. Kunstwissenschaft, i, 247.
3 “ Histoire de la Gravure en France,” 1861, pp. 54-7.
4 Sckreiber suggests tkis in the case of nos. 2296 and 2716. I kave not seen tkese
prints and can offer no opinion about tkem.
M