Studio: international art (48.1910)

Reviews and Notices

volume of Messrs. Dent's edition of Crowe and
Cavalcaselle's " History of Painting in Italy " well
maintains the high level of excellence of its prede-
cessor, and, with its numerous notes from the able
pen of Mr. Edward Hutton, forms a very up-to-
date history of the development of the Siennese
and Florentine schools of the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries. With rare impartiality the
editor quotes the opinions even of those critics
from whom he differs, giving the arguments for
and against his own conclusions, and he has
added greatly to the value of the publication by
the care with which he has noted changes of
location of the pictures described in the text. His
remarks on Paolo di Giovanni Fei and Andrea
di Maestro Fredi (who, by the way, is not men-
tioned by the authors of the book) are typical
examples of the thoroughness of his methods
but he is at great pains to give to Mr. Berenson
the credit of the discovery of the latter, and to
refer to the information given concerning him
by Mr. Langton Douglas in the rival edition of
the famous history.

London Passed and Passing. By Hanslip
Fletcher. (London : Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons.)
2 is. net.—A true lover of London, and one who
combines with the zeal of the antiquarian for relics of
the past an artist's eye-for beauty of form and colour,
Mr. Nicholson, in his Introduction to the drawings
of Mr. Fletcher, has indulged in a panegyric of the
charms of the great city that is worthy of a poet's
pen. " The smoke and vapour," he says, " exhaled
by this strange overgrowth . . . create now the
most gorgeous, now the most delicate effects of at-
mosphere, for smoke and vapour are often a more
subtle medium for the absorption of the sun's
colour rays." He dwells, too, on the added charm
given by time to Wren's churches and pleads
eloquently for the preservation of the few that
remain. Unfortunately, the drawings for which
this charming Essay is the excuse, are with some
exceptions, notably those of Clifford's Inn, some-
what wanting in distinction, but they form an
interesting pictorial record of a number of ancient
buildings that have either been recently pulled
down or are condemned to destruction.

Handbook of Marks on Pottery and Porcelain.
By W. Burton, M.A., and R. L. Hobson, B.A.
(London : Macmillan.) js. 6d. net.—Collectors
of pottery and porcelain will be grateful to the
compilers of this little manual for providing them
with a reliable means of verifying the pieces in
their possession, so far as that is possible by refer-
ence to the marks they bear. The lists it contains

are given in tabular form, arranged geographically,
and comprise all the authentic marks—the number
of which of course runs into thousands—on prac-
tically every species of pottery and porcelain which
comes within the purview of the collector—not
only those originating in the various European
countries, including Scandinavia and Russia, but
also American productions, and a comprehensive
list of Oriental marks, the Chinese and Japanese
lists being especially valuable.

Im Herbste des Lebens. Gesammelte Erinner-
ungsblatter von Hans Thoma. (Munich : Siid-
deutsche Monatshefte.) 5 marks.—The high
esteem in which Prof. Thoma is held by his
countrymen, shared by many living in other coun-
tries, has been amply shown by the many manifesta-
tions of sympathy and respect which have marked
the completion of his seventieth year. Throughout
his fruitful career, into which this little volume
of reminiscences gives us a good insight, he 'has
ever been actuated by the loftiest ideals, and from
the beginning he has pursued those ideals un-
flinchingly, in the face of no small amount of
hostile criticism, such as indeed generally falls to
the lot of men who attain to distinction. He has
arrived at a point when he can look back with
equanimity on the obstacles encountered, and the
absence of all bitterness of feeling towards his
critics is a trait which cannot but increase the
respect in which he is held. The autobiographical
chapters of the book are followed by some essays
on art matters, and also some speeches delivered
in the Upper Chamber of the Baden Legislature,
of which he is a member.

Jacques Callot. Von Hermann Nasse. (Leip-
zig : Klinkhardt & Biermann.) Paper 10 mks.,
cloth 12 mks.—This is the initial instalment of a
new series of volumes which Dr. Hermann Voss
is editing, under the title, " Meister der Graphik,"
a series to be devoted, as the title implies, to the
achievements of the master etchers and engravers,
and if future volumes are as well produced as this
one, the success of the series is assured. The
ninety eight examples of Callot's work which are
reproduced in collotype clearly demonstrate his
mastery as an engraver and draughtsman, besides
being of interest from a documentary point of view
as a true reflection of the times in which he lived
—times when warfare was the order of the day,
and soldiers were ever moving hither and thither.
Callot in recording these movements may, not
without justification, be regarded as a fore-
runner of the " Special Artists" who represent
modern journals at the seat of war.

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