Studio: international art (49.1910)

Reviews and Notices

of careful study on account of the light it throws
upon the organisation of the crafts in India,
Ceylon and adjacent countries. In various respects,
and especially as regards the guild system, which
has long been in operation in the East, these con-
ditions resemble those of European countries in
early mediseval times, but always the religious
element exercised a greater influence in India. On
this point the author’s chapter on “Religious Ideas
in Craftsmanship ” provides instructive reading.

The Mediaval Hospitals of England. By Rotha
Mary Clay. (London : Methuen.) 75. 6d. net.
—To the valuable series of the antiquary’s books
Miss R. M. Clay has added a most interesting
work upon mediaeval hospitals which contains much
useful information concerning the foundation and
constitution of the various charitable institutions,
both civil and ecclesiastic, in the Middle Ages, and
also about a fearful malady which is now happily
unknown in England—leprosy. The work is well
illustrated, and the Bishop of Bristol has con-
tributed a Preface.

Chats on Old Silver. By E. L. Lowes.
(London : T. Fisher Unwin.) 5.1. net.—This is a
useful addition to the series of “ chats ” upon
various subjects already published. The author
deals first with marks and makers, following this
with chapters on ancient and mediseval gold and
silver, but the major portion of the book is devoted
to a resume of the history and styles of English
gold and silver work. The work is well illustrated
with sixty-two plates in half-tone and one in colour.

Black and White. By Steven Spurrier.
(London : George Rowney & Co.) ir. — Mr.
Spurrier’s little book may be recommended to the
student whose ambitions lie in the direction of
black and white illustration. It is full of informa-
tion about materials and methods of drawing and
reproduction. There is, too, a brief history of the
developments of modern black and white art, and
descriptive criticisms, always in good taste, of the
work of many of the best known of the contempo-
rary illustrators of Mr'. Spurrier, whose book,
simply and naturally written, is a proof that a
technical work need not be dull reading. The
spelling of the names of some of the artists men-
tioned should be revised in any future edition of
Black and White.

Die Anfange des Deutschen Kupferstiches is the
title of the second volume of the series of volumes
edited by Dr. Hermann Voss, and published by
Messrs. Klinkhardt & Biermann, of Leipzig
(Mks. 15), under the general title “ Meister der
Graphik.” It deals generally with the earliest

period of line engraving in Germany, and in
particular with the work of the master known as
“E. S.” Practically all these early German engravers
are known only by names descriptive of their prin-
cipal works, such as The Master of the Death of
Mary, The Master of the Love Gardens, of the
Mount of Calvary, of the Playing Cards, and so
forth ; and, as Herr Geisberg tells us in his pre-
liminary treatise, four-fifths of these plates repre-
sented religious themes. This volume is an
interesting and valuable contribution to the
history of engraving, not only because of the
investigations the author has undertaken in con-
nection with it, but also because a large number—
about one-half of the 120 collotype reproductions
in it—are now published for the first time.

We have received from Messrs. A. & C. Black
a copy of the new issues of Who's Who (10s. 6d.
net) and the companion volumes Who’s Who Year
Book and The Writers' and Artists’ Year Book (1 s.
net each). These reference books have so tho-
roughly established their hold on the public that
any eulogy of their serviceableness would be super-
fluous. The Englishivoman’s Year Book and Direc-
tory for 1910, which is published by the same firm
at 2s. 6d. net, calls for special praise on account of
the very able way in which it has been written and
edited. The matter throughout has been brought
up-to-date ; certain sections have been re-arranged
and new ones added (e.g., Music).

Whitaker’s Almanac for 1910 (2s. 6d. net)
contains just on a thousand pages, counting the
advertising matter. There is probably no other
Almanac which by the time December comes round
shows so many signs of use as Whitaker.

Messrs. George Rowney & Co.’s neat little
Artists’ Almanac, in cloth binding (6d), contains,
in addition to a diary, a great deal of information
about art societies in London and the provinces
which will prove serviceable to artists.

Messrs. William Morris & Co., Ltd., of Ruskin
House, Westminster, send us a copy of a new
catalogue they have prepared in which illustrations
and particulars are given of the various classes of
fittings produced by them. The firm makes a
speciality of steel casements and casement fittings
of different kinds, and also of stained-glass
windows and panels, leaded lights, etc., suitable
for buildings of all kinds, this latter class of work
occupying the bulk of the 200 pages of the
catalogue. Architectural metal work in general is
made by the firm which enjoys a good reputation
for substantial workmanship and excellence of
design.

81