Studio: international art (36.1906)

Reviews

it should be treated, but unfortunately Mr. Palmer
deprecates his power to look at it from that point of
view. He declares his concern to be with scenery
not celebrities, contents himself with a few cursory
allusions to Ruskin, and though he has a good deal
to say about Wordsworth, makes not a single quota-
tion from his works. He tells the story of the
Lakes, he says, as it has discovered itself to him and
his bright and chatty narrative, in spite of its want
of style, is eminently readable.

Sam Bough, R.S.A. By the late Sidney
Gilpin. (London : George Bell & Sons.) 7s. 6d.
net.—It has been justly said that the life of every
man truly written will be full of interest, and this
is very notably the case with the present biography
of a gifted but erratic artist, from the sympathetic
pen of a personal friend who, alas ! did not live to
see the publication of his book. Sam Bough was
a true Bohemian, who lived from hand to mouth,
and threw away his best chances of worldly
success for the sake of the indulgence of some
passing whim, but this very fact gives to the story
of his experiences a delightful piquancy. He
cannot be called a great artist, though many of his
delicate landscapes are full of charm, and some
of his caricatures are clever ; but he was endowed
with many lovable qualities, of which racy humour
was one, and it was to this that he owed much of
his great popularity.

Die Meisterwerke der Kbniglichen Gemalde Gal-
lerie zu Dresde?i. Die Meisterwerke der Konig-
lichen Gemalde Gallerie zu Cassel. (Munich and
London: Franz Hanfstaengl.) 12s. net. each—It

would be difficult to imagine more delightful guides
to the two famous galleries at Dresden and Cassel
than these volumes of fine reproductions of the most
noteworthy of their treasures. The Introductions,
in the one case from the accomplished pen of Dr.
Hirth, and in the other from that of the well-known
critic Dr. Karl Voll, will be useful to the student
of art history as well as the mere visitor to the
collections.

Rip Van Winkle. By Washington Irving.
With Drawings by Arthur Rackham, A.R.W.S.
(London : W. Heinemann.) 155. net.—Mr. Arthur
Rackham’s talent is displayed to great advantage
in his illustrations to Irving’s well-known story.
His weird imagination, his free and admirable line
work, his appreciation of colour harmony, com-
bined with a careful study of costume and
character associated with “ colonial ” times in
America, have resulted in a series of pictures
altogether removed from the commonplace. Mr.
Rackham exhibits in his work a greater and more

remarkable individuality than any modern illus-
trator, with the exception, perhaps, of Aubrey
Beardsley and Maxfield Parrish. But Rackham is
a broader, more generous, more human artist than
Beardsley, and his technique is freer and more
sympathetic than that of Parrish; although, at the
same time, it is less decorative, and misses that air
of quiet distinction which renders the work of the
American artist so admirable. As a book we do
not think this edition of Rip Van Winkle is
altogether satisfactory, the illustrations being too
much dissociated from the letterpress, both in the
style of printing and the general presentment of
the wrork ; but as an album of pictures by a great
artist, it is in every way commendable, and can but
add to the artist’s well-deserved reputation.

Old Oak Fur?iiture. By Fred Roe. (London :
Methuen.) 10.L 6d. net.—The enthusiastic author
of “ Ancient Coffers and Cupboards ” prefaces his
new volume with an eloquent justification of what
he calls old-oak worship, pleading that it is but
one phase of the pursuit of beauty, which is or
ought to be the final aim of all art. He warns his
readers of the many fallacies connected with the
subject of old furniture, declaring that the unaided
eye of faith is quite inadequate to deal with the
science of archaeology; pointing out, however, at
the same time, how many priceless heirlooms have
been rescued from destruction through the zeal of
even the uneducated acquisitor. Written rather
for the inexperienced than the expert, his book will
be an excellent aid to the neophyte; but it also
contains much new information of value even to
the accomplished antiquarian.

The Principles of Design. By G. Woolliscroft
Rhead, R.E., Hon. A.R.C. A. (London: Batsford.)
6s. net.—The name of the author of this valuable
handbook is a guarantee of accuracy and effective
treatment, and the only fault to be found with it is
the over condensation that was necessary to include
all the elements of so very wide a subject as design.
Each section, however, contains the very pith of the
matter dealt with, and the numerous illustrations
admirably supplement the text. The brief essay
on stained glass, which could easily be amplified
into a separate volume, is a good example of Mr.
Rhead’s remarkable precision in defining essential
principles ; and that on the application of natural
forms to ornament is full of suggestion, dwelling as
it does on the fact so often lost sight of, that it is in
the direction of nature that we must look for any
new development in the decorative arts.

Our Neighbours. By Charles Dana Gibson.
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons; London:

279