Studio: international art (47.1909)

Reviews and Notices

last, and she is equally happy in dealing with the
men who endeavoured to carry out the work of
St. Francis after his death. Mr. Kerr-Lawson’s
able essay on the Franciscan Legend well defines
the singular charm, a reflection of that of St. Francis
himself, which emanates from the paintings and
frescoes, several of which are reproduced, of
scenes from his life.

Le Second Livre des Monogrammes, Marques,
Cachets et ex-Libris. Composes par George Auriol.
Preface d’Anatole France. (Paris : Flenri Floury).

8 frcs., ed. de luxe, 25 frcs.—“ Ce n’est pas peu de
chose que de bien dessiner une lettre,” remarks
the distinguished French novelist in his appreciative
preface to this second collection of M. Auriol’s signs
and emblems—the first made its appearance some
seven years ago. The remark is made apropos of
an alphabet designed by M. Auriol, but applies
equally to the designs reproduced in these volumes.
Most readers of The Studio know something
about these designs, for a whole group of them
filled one of its pages two or three years ago,
and they do not need to be told that in his
particular field M. Auriol stands alone in the
modern art world. The charm of his devices
lies in their very simplicity : the “ home-marks ”
or cachets de famille, the monograms, the seals,
and even the book-plates, betray no sign of
toil in their production, but seem to have been
created with a few fluent strokes of brush or pen,
and though throughout the 500 designs reproduced
in the volume, the impress of their author is
apparent, there is no lack of variety.

William Callou’, R.W.S., T.R.G.S. An Auto-
biography. Edited by FI. M. Cundall. (London :
Adam & Charles Black.) 7s. 6d. net.—This book was
originally prepared during Mr. Callow’s lifetime
from notes carefully made by Mrs. Callow, as her
husband recalled from the diaries and memoranda
written by him from his early days onwards the
episodes in his long career, Mr. Cundall’s task, he
tells us, having been to assist the artist's widow in
putting these notes into a chronological and readable
form. The book is profusely illustrated in colours
and black-and-white by some of the most perfect
examples of his art. The “ In Memoriam ” which
prefaces the work gives a very interesting sketch of
the artist’s career, which beginning, so to speak, at
the early age of eleven, when he commenced to
gain his livelihood by practising the rudiments of
his art, may be said to have been consummated
eighty years later by his “ one-man ” show at the
Leicester Galleries in 1907. The first part of the
book is full of incidents in connection with his life

in Paris in 1830 and the revolution of that time.
While in Paris he taught the children of King
Louis Philippe and many of the French nobility.
Flis place in the history of water-colour art in
England is an unmistakable one. In 1838 he was
elected an associate of the Old Water Colour
Society, and a full chronological list is given of his
pictures exhibited at the Society’s shows and at
the Royal Academy and elsewhere. It is im-
possible to close the book without being affected
by the sentiment of a life so prolonged and peace-
fully lived and by the simple charm of the nature
which becomes visible through its pages.

Chats on Old Miniatures. By J. J. Foster, F.S. A.
(London : T. Fisher Unwin.) 55. net.—Amongst
the many experts who have recently published books
on miniatures, Mr. Foster takes high rank on
account of his insight into the peculiarities of
technique and appreciation of the difficulties
with which the exponents of the beautiful art have
to contend. His work is far more than a mere popu-
lar chat and gives in a less expensive form pretty well
all the information contained in his larger volume,
including descriptions of technical processes such
as cloissonne and champleve enamelling, published
some years ago. It includes an essay on the French
school, the results of its author’s examination of the
miniatures shown at a recent exhibition at the Biblio-
theque Nationale, Paris.

In Mr. Grant Richards’s publications this season
are included re-issues of Mr. Grant Allen’s Histori-
cal Guides to Paris and Venice, which have enjoyed
wide popularity since their first appearance some
ten years ago. Both volumes (y. 6d. net each) have
been extensively revised to bring them up-to-date,
and both are now for the first time illustrated with
numerous reproductions of works of art.

A volume entitled Hessische Landes-Ausstellung
fiir freie und angewandte Kunst, Darmstadt, 1908,
published by Alex. Koch, Darmstadt (Mks. 20),
gives a comprehensive pictorial record of an exhibi-
tion which was of exceptional interest as reflecting
the progress of modern art in the Grand Duchy of
Hesse, whose enlightened ruler has done so much to
help it forward. As an account of the exhibition was
given in these pages while it was still an actuality, it
is only necessary for us to say that this souvenir is
entirely worthy of the occasion.

Among the latest accessions to the “ Menpes
Series of Great Masters,” now so widely known on
account of its remarkably faithful reproductions in
colour of masterpieces of painting, is Fragonard’s
famous work, The Swing, of which the original is
now in the Wallace Collection.

79