Studio: international art (37.1906)

Reviews

essentially from any of its predecessors in the com-
pleteness of its analysis of the first inception of the
Gothic principle and of the development of English
church architecture, the peculiar characteristics of
which are traced back to their true sources.
Mr. Bond is a genuine enthusiast, and he writes
with the tempered eloquence of one who possesses
a large reserve fund of information; he ruthlessly
sweeps away the old misleading classifications,
avoiding the use of the repellent technical terms
that have done so much to check the general
study of architecture. His language is never
obscure, and the veriest novice can follow with ease
the arguments that are the result of many years'
study and of the critical insight that is so rare a
gift. Some twelve hundred illustrations admirably
supplement the text, including a very large number
of photographs, some of them true works of art;
sketches, plans, sections, diagrams, and mouldings,
all of which are alphabetically indexed to facilitate
reference; whilst, at the end of the book, will be
found chronological lists of the chief examples of
Norman and Gothic architecture, the greater
number of which have been critically examined
by Mr. Bond himself. The one thing to be re-
gretted is that his work, exhaustive as it certainly
is, should touch but lightly on the interaction
between English-Gothic architecture and the history
of the land in which it was evolved, for there can
be no doubt that it is alike the most significant
and the highest expression of mediaeval national
life that has been preserved.

Burma. Painted and described by R. Talbot
Kelly. (London : A. & C. Black.) 20s. net.—
An eloquent writer, as well as an accomplished
artist, wielding the pen with even greater skill than
the brush, and imbued, moreover, with the courage,
perseverance, and enthusiasm of the true explorer,
the author of this delightful volume has concen-
trated all his powers on his fascinating subject, pro-
ducing what will certainly rank as a standard work on
this great dependency of the British Empire. Dwell-
ing but lightly on the many difficulties under which
he worked, the many narrow escapes he had from
serious injury to life and limb and from the results
of ever-recurrent fever, Mr. Kelly never wavered in
the performance of his arduous task. He acknow-
ledges with warm gratitude the eager hospitality he
received wherever he went, and the readiness with
which every possible facility of transport was pro-
vided for him ; but he quite ignores his own share
in his success, much of which was no doubt due to
the winning personality which everywhere secured
the faithful service of those who were with him.

He regrets not being able to do more than touch
the fringe of the immensity of subjects con-
tained in the 150,000 square miles of tropical
beauty that make up Burma; but he really has
achieved far more than that, for he has lifted the
veil that hid the truth about its gentle, loving-
hearted people, who almost alone amongst the
living nations of the world are true humanitarians,
giving picture after picture of them in their daily
life, and noting especially their extraordinary
tenderness for animals. Of the sketches that
accompany the thrilling narrative perhaps the most
beautiful are The River at Prome, with the Morn-
ing Mists rising, Up Stream with the Wind, The
Ananda Temple, and A Mountain Torrent.

Royal Academy Pictures, 1905. With Introduc-
tion by M. H. Spielmann. (London : Cassell.)
75. 6d. net.—That history repeats itself is nowhere
more fully endorsed than in each fresh exhibition
of the Royal Academy, where year by year the old
traditions are steadily maintained, provoking the
old criticisms from outsiders, the old defence
from those within the pale. In his introduction
Mr. Spielmann endeavours, with his usual dis-
crimination, to hit the happy medium in his
remarks; but many, no doubt, will be the dis-
sentients from his concluding sentence: " The
whole exhibition, then, is entirely worthy of the
art of the country, and its highest average is
faithfully and even flatteringly represented in
' Royal Academy Pictures,' which now, for the
eighteenth consecutive time, sets on record the
national achievement of the year."

How to Identify Portrait Miniatures. By Dr.
G. C. Williamson. (London: George Bell & Sons.)
$s. net.—In this trustworthy little volume the
author sums up clearly and succinctly all that
it is essential for the amateur to know; so that,
given the primary qualifications of the discerning
eye and the aesthetic sense, the collector who
has mastered the contents of the unpretending
guide, may go on his way rejoicing without fear of
falling into any of the many traps that beset the
footsteps of the unwary. He may never win the
rare distinction of making such a discovery as that
of Dr. Williamson, who recently identified an
hitherto unauthenticated miniature of Sir Thomas
Moore by Holbein, of which a reproduction is
given, but if he carefully studies with the text the
many fine examples of typical masterpieces with
which it is enriched, and takes every opportunity
of seeing collections, he will quickly learn to note
the subtle characteristics of each style that are there
so graphically described in this ideal handbook.

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