Studio: international art (43.1908)

Reviews and Notices

merited by a bibliography of the principal books,
pamphlets, &c., relating to the painter and his times,
and a catalogue of paintings by and attributed to
Hogarth, also a catalogue of the principal prints
by or after him. The seventy-six illustrations
are of the utmost interest and are reproduced
apparently with scrupulous care.

Artists of the Italian Renaissance. Translated
from the Chroniclers and arranged by E. L. Seeley.
(London : Chatto and Windus.) Buckram, 7s. 6d.;
parchment, 15.L ; vellum, 20s. net.—A companion
volume to the Stories of the Italian Artists from
Vasari issued some time ago, and, like it, very
attractively produced both as regards text and
illustrations, the present volume combines in a
pleasant way the characters of biography and history.
The times which saw the re-birth of art in Italy
were also times of great political commotion, and
the author has therefore—very wisely, we think—
embodied the facts concerning the lives and
achievements of the artists in a general account of
the period.

India. Impressions by Walter Crane, R.W.S.
(London : Methuen.) 7s. 6d.—Mr. Walter Crane’s
narrative of his winter tour in India is unique as
a more than usually complete reminiscence of a
journey undertaken in a holiday spirit. The illus-
trations by the author could not fail in themselves
to make the book attractive, and though the thumb-
nail sketches with which the pages are also be-
sprinkled do not exhibit the qualities which are
valued as characteristic of Mr. Crane’s talent, their
humour adds to the pleasure to be derived from
the book.

Chats on Violoncellos. By Olga Racster.
(London : T. Werner Laurie.) ^s. 6d net.—This,
the fifth volume of the “ Music Lovers’ Library,” is
concerned with the history of the instrument and
its evolution from the “ ravanastron ” of India,
probably its earliest prototype, to its present form.
The story of the Violoncello is naturally intimately
connected with that of its makers in all ages, and
the numerous digressions introduced concerning
those who have been responsible for the changes in
the model of the instrument undoubtedly enhance
the general interest of the work. Two interesting
“ chats ” are those dealing with the history of the
Violoncello in the eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries, and the concluding portions of the book
are devoted to the brief history of two once famous
lady performers on the viola da gamba, and a
sketch of the career of the infant prodigy of the
Violoncello, Benjamin Hallet. Among the
eighteen illustrations are two of Amati’s famous
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“ King ” ’cello and one of a wonderfully carved
instrument by Galli. Elsewhere the author refers
to some carving as being “ worthy of a Grinley
Gibbons.”

The Arundel Club’s latest portfolio of photo-
gravures includes reproductions of two works by
Velasquez which were recently discovered in the
collection of Mr. Laurie Frere, one representing
St. John in Patmos and the other an Immaculate
Conception, the Virgin being shown standing upon
the moon amidst moonlit clouds. The originals,
it is said, were purchased by John Hookham
Frere in Spain a century ago, and are referred to
by Senor Beruete in his book on Velasquez as
missing. Other interesting items in the portfolio
are Hogarth’s fine portrait of Mrs. Desaguliers, and
a landscape by Hercules Seghers. The Club, by
undertaking at great expense the permanent re-
production of masterpieces in private collections
inaccessible to the public, has a claim to the
support of all interested in the works of the great
masters. The annual subscription, entitling to a
copy of the portfolio, is a guinea, but new members
must join for at least two years. The Hon. Secre-
tary is Mr. Robert Ross, 15 Vicarage Gardens,
Kensington.

The second volume (Third Series) of the
Architectural Association Sketch-Book contains, like
its forerunners, an extensive variety of drawings of
buildings in Britain and foreign countries which
afford interesting study for the architect. The
British series comprises, amongst other drawings to
scale, the Mansion House and the New River
Offices in London ; St. Peter’s Church, Norwich ;
St. Mary at Redcliffe, Bristol; the Benedictine
Abbey at Shrewsbury; the “Mote House” at
Ightham; the Castle of Glamis and Church of
St. Blane at Dunblane in Scotland; while the
Continent is represented by buildings or details of
buildings at Coutances, Brussels, Dordrecht, Assisi,
Bologna, Florence (where nine plates are devoted
to the cloister of the church of St. Croce), and
elsewhere. The Sketch-Book is issued from the
Offices of the Association in Tufton Street,
Westminster, in four quarterly instalments at a
subscription of one guinea per volume.

Mr. Richard South has followed up his book on
British butterflies by a companion volume on The
Moths of the British Isles (F. Warne & Co.)
7s. 6d. net. This volume deals with the families
Sphingidce to Noduidce, and contains some hundreds
of accurately coloured figures of the species com-
prised in these families, together with a large number
of careful drawings of eggs, caterpillars, etc. The