Ottley, William Young: An inquiry into the origin and early history of engraving: upon copper and in wood ; with an account of engravers and their works, from the invention of chalcography by Maso Finiguerra to the time of Marc Antonio Raimondi (Band 1) (London, 1816) [Cicognara, 266A]

PREFACE,

THE following work owes its origin to the circumstance of my
having, many years ago, when in Italy, chanced to meet with a
small print; which, as well from its style of design and delicate
finishing, as from the imperfect method in which the impression
appeared to have been taken off, I was led to conjecture might be a
genuine specimen of the abilities of Maso Finiguerra, the Inventor
of Chalcography.

It happened that the painting and sculpture of the early Italian
schools, and especially the school of Florence, had occupied much
of my previous attention; and that I had already, more than once,
visited Florence, Pisa, Orvieto, Assisi, and Siena, for the express
purpose of collecting drawings, faithfully copied from the original
frescoes and bassi-relievi of the early artists, with a view to illus-
trate the history and progress of the Arts of Design, from the dawn
of their improvement in Italy, in the thirteenth and fourteenth cen-
turies, to the sera of their meridian splendour, under Julius the
Second and Leo the Tenth. In the course of this pursuit, conti-
nued for several years with great eagerness, I naturally became
somewhat conversant with the various changes of style which

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