Studio: international art (61.1914)

Reviews and Notices

great T'ang painter of that name but, according to
tradition, are copies made some three centuries
later after frescoes by him, they are of the greatest
significance and deserve the close attention of all
students of Far Eastern Art. The originals of the
drawings, which are fifty in number, belong to
Dr. F. R. Martin, and the collection bears the seal
of the Emperor Huitsung, who reigned in the
twelfth century and appears to have been an ardent
collector and shrewd connoisseur of works of art.
The actual execution of the drawings is ascribed to
Li Lung Min (or Mien), a great painter of the
Sung dynasty who founded a school and is said to
have copied for purposes of study all the most im-
portant works of art executed prior to his own time.
If such was the case, it was only natural that the
masterpieces of Wu Tao-Tze (called by the Japanese
Godoshi) should have claimed his attention above
others, for though at the present day there does
not appear to be extant a single work that can be
ascribed with certainty to this genius, who flourished
some three centuries before Li Lung Mien,
tradition has invested him with almost fabulous
power as a painter, and by all authorities he is
placed above all other Chinese artists of any age.
It is said that he painted several hundred frescoes
for the walls of temples, and that one of his paintings
representing the Buddhist purgatory or inferno was
of such dramatic power that multitudes of people
on seeing it were filled with remorse and repented
them of their sins. The drawings in Dr. Martin's
collection, from which the excellent reproductions in
this portfolio have been made, are most of them
concerned with kindred themes, and the series
would appear to be a sort of pictorial " Divine
Comedy " strongly recalling Botticelli's illustrations
to Dante's famous work. They were all executed in
Chinese ink, and even from the reproductions one
can appreciate the superb draughtsmanship of the
Sung master to whom they are attributed. Chinese
historical records speak of Wu Tao-Tze as a wonder-
ful draughtsman, and if, as one may fairly infer, Li
Lung Mien in making his copies strove to follow
the originals as faithfully as his skill permitted, one
is able to appreciate, to some extent at all events,
the great T'ang master's own " tremendous energy
of conception and draughtsmanship " (to quote Mr.
Binyon) in these copies and therefore in the
reproductions. These are printed on a tinted
ground in simulation of the originals, and each
sheet is mounted on a stiff board. The letterpress
is in German and contains a description of the
drawings and a transcription of the Chinese names
and titles written thereon, and there is also an
256

appreciative critique by Anders Zorn, the well-
known Swedish painter.

Houses and Gardens by E. L. Lutyens. Described
and criticised by Lawrence Weaver. (London :
" Country Life" Library of Architectural Mono-
graphs.) 255-. net.—In considering contemporary
Domestic Architecture one is impressed by two
facts—that this important branch of art is in a
particularly healthy condition in this country ; and
that of all the able architects who have been instru-
mental in bringing about this happy state of affairs
none have played a more prominent part than Mr.
Edwin Lutyens. It is generally agreed that his work
embodies the best characteristics of that school
of architects which is the outcome of the revival of
domestic architecture in England during the latter
part of the last century, and which has steadily
developed on sound national lines down to the
present day. This interesting volume forms a
worthy and exhaustive record of Mr. Lutyens'
remarkable achievement up to the present. He is
undoubtedly an individualist, and every one of the
many houses and gardens illustrated in this work
bears the stamp of his strong artistic personality.
At the same time he is carrying on the great
traditions of English domestic architecture. In
each case the character of his building is con-
siderably influenced by the peculiarities of the site
and by the local materials available ; in other words,
his houses are always in harmony with his sur-
roundings. Besides his instinctive sense of design
he possesses to a remarkable degree the gift of
" seeing ahead," with the result that he seldom
fails to obtain unity of effect. This important
publication contains nearly six hundred illustrations,
most of which will repay careful study, while Mr.
Weaver's interesting descriptions and thoughtful
criticism greatly enhance the value of the work.

Le Style Louis XVI: Mobilier et Decoration.
Par Seymour de Ricci. (Paris : Hachette et Cie.)
Cloth 25 frcs.—With the exception of the intro-
ductory letterpress the contents of this volume
consist of illustrations, of which there are no less
than 456, exhibiting articles of furniture and
decoration in which what for want of a more precise
designation is commonly called "le style Louis
Seize " is exemplified. As M. de Ricci points out
in his account of the evolution of this style the term
is not strictly accurate, for the classic characteristics
associated with Louis-Seize design had already
become well established long before the reign of
Louis Quinze came to an end, and it was largely
due to that monarch's famous mistress, Mme.
de Pompadour, that the style which now bears