DOI Heft:
No. 191 (January, 1913)
DOI Artikel:In the Galleries
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43451#0436
In the Galleries
Courtesy of The Ederheimer Galleries
VIRGIN AND CHILD BY ANDREA MANTEGNA
1431-1506
At the Ehrich Galleries, among many good pic-
tures by Gordoni, Carle van Loo, El Greco and
others, there is a large and interesting Still Life,
by Jan de Heem, very important and quite of
museum value. A very attractive canvas by
N. Maes represents a youthful and winsome
princess of the House of Orange. They are busy
preparing an exhibition of Spanish masters, and
our illustration shows a canvas by Murillo,
Charity, in which the Virgin is seen seated on a
nimbus, whilst the Christchild is handing out
loaves of bread to kneeling suppliants. The col-
oring is rich and the warm glow behind the Virgin,
so characteristic of the painter of conceptions, is
present to a marked degree. The picture is not
over-sentimental and may be ranked as belonging
to his second period, or estilo calido works.
On view at Reinhardt’s Galleries is the subject
of our illustration. It is a primitive of sixteenth-
century Flemish art, a portrait of St. John holding
the lamb, in front of whom kneel the Donators.
It is by Adrian Isenbrant, who died in 1551. The
picture belongs to the medieval phase of Flemish
art, before the emancipation so soon to follow in
the ascending of Rubens and Van Dyck. In look-
ing at this canvas one is apt to recall the portrait
of St. John in the National Gallery, London, gen-
erally ascribed to Hans Memlinc.
An interesting collection of Guardi pictures has
been on view at the galleries of Gimpel & Wilden-
stein. His eighteenth-century Venice is delight-
ful work, much in advance of Canaletto, whose
pupil he was.
An extraordinary exhibition during December
has been that of the early Italian engravers, held
by Mr. Ederheimer at 366 Fifth Avenue. To
present such a remarkable and almost priceless
collection, ranging in period from the Nielli to
Marcantonio, could only have been made pos-
sible by the co-operation of Mr. Junius S. Mor-
gan, who lent his prints. The catalogue, reflect-
ing great credit on the compiler, has divided the
collection into two parts: I. Unknown masters—-
the Nielli, Prophets, Tarocchi, etc. II. Known
masters: Mantegna to Marcantonio.
Nothing in art is more fascinating than the
study of its beginnings. The Niello, at first only
employed for preserving patterns in the decora-
tion of ecclesiastical utensils, soon showed its pos-
sibilities for reproduction and thus paved the
way for the art of engraving in Italy. It is idle
in the face of so much conflicting evidence to at-
tempt to assign the Prophets and other early
prints to any particular artist. Dr. Kristeller
condemns them all to anonymity. The Tarocchi
cards of Mantegna, for instance, are not playing
cards at all, nor by Mantegna. There are two
’Sets of the same subjects by different engravers,
known as the E & S set, forming a manual of
science, and endless discussion has been caused in
the attempt to determine the original series from
the copy; Mr. Ederheimer believes in the E
Series and has succeeded in impressing his views
on the British Museum authorities, who hitherto
upheld the S. We pass to Andrea Mantegna and
all the seven plates are shown, which out of
twenty-four attributed to the master are now
alone conceded to be authentic, and all are nearly
perfect impressions. Near these can be seen
plates attributed to him or to his pupils, Zoan
Andrea and de Brescia. Robetta is represented
by his Adoration of the Magi, and his allegories,
Envy and Power of Love. His designs were mostly
copied from pictures by Lippi and others.
The only known engraving of Pollaiulo is his
Battle of Naked Men, of which an excellent im-
pression is shown, revealing vigorous drawing.
He was a fellow-workman of Finiguerra and a far
greater artist. With the dawn of the sixteenth
century and the arrival of Marcantonio line en-
graving, which had been a matter of original pro-
duction as painter-engraving, now became a
reproductive art entirely dependent upon paint-
ing. Nothing prior to Marcantonio is quite on a
level with Diirer, still the allure of the earlier
Renaissance artists compensates for any lack of
technical efficiency.
LXXII
Courtesy of The Ederheimer Galleries
VIRGIN AND CHILD BY ANDREA MANTEGNA
1431-1506
At the Ehrich Galleries, among many good pic-
tures by Gordoni, Carle van Loo, El Greco and
others, there is a large and interesting Still Life,
by Jan de Heem, very important and quite of
museum value. A very attractive canvas by
N. Maes represents a youthful and winsome
princess of the House of Orange. They are busy
preparing an exhibition of Spanish masters, and
our illustration shows a canvas by Murillo,
Charity, in which the Virgin is seen seated on a
nimbus, whilst the Christchild is handing out
loaves of bread to kneeling suppliants. The col-
oring is rich and the warm glow behind the Virgin,
so characteristic of the painter of conceptions, is
present to a marked degree. The picture is not
over-sentimental and may be ranked as belonging
to his second period, or estilo calido works.
On view at Reinhardt’s Galleries is the subject
of our illustration. It is a primitive of sixteenth-
century Flemish art, a portrait of St. John holding
the lamb, in front of whom kneel the Donators.
It is by Adrian Isenbrant, who died in 1551. The
picture belongs to the medieval phase of Flemish
art, before the emancipation so soon to follow in
the ascending of Rubens and Van Dyck. In look-
ing at this canvas one is apt to recall the portrait
of St. John in the National Gallery, London, gen-
erally ascribed to Hans Memlinc.
An interesting collection of Guardi pictures has
been on view at the galleries of Gimpel & Wilden-
stein. His eighteenth-century Venice is delight-
ful work, much in advance of Canaletto, whose
pupil he was.
An extraordinary exhibition during December
has been that of the early Italian engravers, held
by Mr. Ederheimer at 366 Fifth Avenue. To
present such a remarkable and almost priceless
collection, ranging in period from the Nielli to
Marcantonio, could only have been made pos-
sible by the co-operation of Mr. Junius S. Mor-
gan, who lent his prints. The catalogue, reflect-
ing great credit on the compiler, has divided the
collection into two parts: I. Unknown masters—-
the Nielli, Prophets, Tarocchi, etc. II. Known
masters: Mantegna to Marcantonio.
Nothing in art is more fascinating than the
study of its beginnings. The Niello, at first only
employed for preserving patterns in the decora-
tion of ecclesiastical utensils, soon showed its pos-
sibilities for reproduction and thus paved the
way for the art of engraving in Italy. It is idle
in the face of so much conflicting evidence to at-
tempt to assign the Prophets and other early
prints to any particular artist. Dr. Kristeller
condemns them all to anonymity. The Tarocchi
cards of Mantegna, for instance, are not playing
cards at all, nor by Mantegna. There are two
’Sets of the same subjects by different engravers,
known as the E & S set, forming a manual of
science, and endless discussion has been caused in
the attempt to determine the original series from
the copy; Mr. Ederheimer believes in the E
Series and has succeeded in impressing his views
on the British Museum authorities, who hitherto
upheld the S. We pass to Andrea Mantegna and
all the seven plates are shown, which out of
twenty-four attributed to the master are now
alone conceded to be authentic, and all are nearly
perfect impressions. Near these can be seen
plates attributed to him or to his pupils, Zoan
Andrea and de Brescia. Robetta is represented
by his Adoration of the Magi, and his allegories,
Envy and Power of Love. His designs were mostly
copied from pictures by Lippi and others.
The only known engraving of Pollaiulo is his
Battle of Naked Men, of which an excellent im-
pression is shown, revealing vigorous drawing.
He was a fellow-workman of Finiguerra and a far
greater artist. With the dawn of the sixteenth
century and the arrival of Marcantonio line en-
graving, which had been a matter of original pro-
duction as painter-engraving, now became a
reproductive art entirely dependent upon paint-
ing. Nothing prior to Marcantonio is quite on a
level with Diirer, still the allure of the earlier
Renaissance artists compensates for any lack of
technical efficiency.
LXXII