Studio: international art (79.1920)

REVIEWS

ship is alleged is that yielded by the works
themselves, and a comparison of them with
drawings and pictures definitely known to
have been executed by Titian. The pro-
fessor also pronounces emphatically in
favour of post-dating Titian's birth by a
dozen years—1489 or 1490, and not 1470.
His arguments generally will no doubt give
rise to much discussion among experts, but
whatever the final outcome may be, his
scholarly dissertation certainly claims the
serious attention of all students of the great
Italian masters whose works are discussed
with so much insight. The annotated
bibliography and index are helpful addi-
tions to the treatise. 0 0 0

“ Interior ” Paintings. By Patrick W.
Adam, R.S.A. With an introduction and
biographical note by Patrick J. Ford.
(Glasgow : Maclehose, Jackson and Co.)
£2 2s. net.—Mr. Patrick Adam's work as
a painter of “ interior " pictures was the
subject of an article by Mr. Stodart
Walker which appeared in these pages in
1913, and the high opinion which this dis-
cerning connoisseur expressed in regard to
his compatriot's achievements in this
specialized branch of pictorial art is con-
firmed and emphasized by the numerous
examples presented in this handsome
album. Mr. Adam's career as an artist
dates from 1872, but until about ten years
ago his practice had been mainly confined
to portraiture. Since 1910 his attention
has been focussed almost entirely upon
“ interiors," and in the intervening nine
years the works of this type painted by him
number close upon eighty, most of which
have been exhibited. We have nothing
but praise for the admirable quality of the
twenty-nine reproductions, which with two
portraits of the artist and a portrait group
by Sir James Guthrie and Sir John Lavery
respectively form the pictorial material of
this volume. A dozen of them are in
colour, and the rest are photogravures ;
the former show the artist to possess a
marked feeling for colour, while in all
there is evidence of that play of light
which is a dominating characteristic of his
interiors. 0 0 0 0 0

Batiks, and How to Make Them. By
Pieter Mijer. (London : B. T. Batsford.)

1 os. 6d. net.—As very few people in
Europe or America know what batik is,
160

although they may have heard of it, we
give the opening sentence of a description
quoted by the author as given by a native
of Java, where the art has been practised
for centuries on a large scale. “ Batik is the
art of dyeing fabric in one piece in different
dyes consecutively, through the combination
of which the pattern of the design is pro-
duced." It has been known in Holland for
more than 250 years, but has not been
employed there to any considerable extent
until recent years ; and elsewhere in the
West it is in Germany that this kind of
work has found most favour. As shown
by the examples illustrated in this hand-
book, designs of a complex character can
be produced by the process, which, how-
ever, requires, besides a capacity for
design, much care and patience. Mr.
Mijer's book explains clearly the methods
pursued in Java and in Europe, and as it is,
we believe, the first treatise on the subject
in English, it will be acceptable to novices
as well as useful to those who already know
something about batik. 000
Japanese Names and How to Read Them.
By Albert J. Koop, B.A., and Hogitaro
Irada of Kioto. (London : Eastern Press.)
In three parts, £3 3s., Part I.—The scope
of this work is sufficiently indicated by the
supplementary description on the title-
page : u A concise and comprehensive

guide to the reading and interpretation of
Japanese proper names, both geographical
and personal, as well as of dates and other
formal expressions." Intended expressly as
a manual for art collectors and students, it
fulfils admirably the purpose thus defined,
and will be especially useful to the student
of the Japanese language, who will find
here much material which the ordinary
text books do not provide. The work does
not deal with the Japanese cursive script,
but the student who is courageous enough
to tackle this far more intricate field of
study will find an admirable guide in Col.
F. S. G. Piggott's work, The Elements of
Sosho, recently published in the Far East by
Messrs. Kelly and Walsh of Yokohama,
and in London by Crosby Lockwood and
Son, in which are reproduced 1800 char-
acters written by Mr. N. Seikuro, formerly
writing master to the present Emperor of
Japan, and one of the greatest living
exponents of brushmanship. 0 0