The admission in the course of the preceding remarks that Holbein might have been employed in some of the additional cuts that appeared in the editions of the Lyons Dance of Death which followed that of 1538, may seem at variance with what has been advanced with respect to the Bible cuts ascribed to him. It is, however, by no means a matter of necessity that an artist with Holbein's talents should have been resorted to for the purpose of designing the additional cuts to the Lyons work. There were, during the middle of the 16th century, several artists equally competent to the undertaking, both as to invention and execution, as is demonstrable, among numerous other instances, from the spurious, but beautiful, Italian copy of the original cuts; from the scarcely distinguishable copies of the Lyons Bible cuts in an edition put forth by John Stelsius at Antwerp, 1561, and from the works of several artists, both designers and wood-engravers, in the books published by the French, Flemish, and Italian booksellers at that period. An interesting catalogue raisonne might be constructed, though with some difficulty, of such articles as were decorated with most exquisite and interesting embellishments. The above century was much richer in this respect than any one that succeeded it, displaying specimens of art that have only been rivalled, perhaps never outdone, by the very skilful engravers on wood of modern times.

Our attention will, in the next place, be required to the excellent _engraver_ of the Dance of Death, the thirty-sixth cut of which represents the Duchess sitting up in bed, and accompanied with two figures of Death, one of which plays on a violin, whilst the other drags away the bed-clothes. On the base of one of the bed-posts is the mark or monogram [monogram: HL] which has, among other artists, been inconsiderately ascribed to Holbein. That it was intended to express the name of the designer cannot be supported by evidence of any kind. We must then seek for its meaning as belonging to the engraver, and whose name was, in all probability, Hans Leuczellberger or Lutzenberger, sometimes called Franck.

M. de Mechel, the celebrated printseller and engraver at Basle, addressed a letter to M. de Murr, in which he states that on a proof sheet of an alphabet in the library in that city, containing several small figures of a Dance of Death, he had found the above name. M. Brulliot remarks that he had seen some of the letters of this alphabet, but had not perceived on them either the name of Lutzenberger, or the mark [monogram: HL];[106] but M. de Mechel has not said that the _mark_ was on the proof sheet, or on the letters themselves, but only the name of Lutzenberger, adding that the [monogram: HL] on the cut of the Duchess will throw some light on the matter, and that Holbein, although this monogram has been usually ascribed to him, never expressed his name by it, but used for that purpose an [monogram: H] joined to a [monogram: B]; in which latter assertion M. de Mechel was by no means correct.

On another alphabet of a Dance of Peasants, in the possession of the writer of these pages, and undoubtedly by the same artists, M. de Mechel, to whom it was shown when in England, has written in pencil, the following memorandum: "[monogram: HL] grave par Hans (John) Lutzenberger, graveur en patrons a Basle, vivant la au commencement du 16me siecle;" but he has inadvertently transferred the remark to the wrong alphabet, though both were undoubtedly the work of the same artist, as well as a third alphabet, equally beautiful, of groups of children.

The late Pietro Zani, whose intimate experience in whatever relates to the art of engraving, together with the vast number of prints that had passed under his observation, must entitle his opinions to the highest consideration, has stated, in more places than one in his "Enciclopedia Metodica," that Holbein had no concern with the cuts of the Lyons Dance of Death, the engraving of which he decidedly ascribes to Hans Lutzenberger; and, without any reference to the inscription on the proof of one of the alphabets in the library at Basle before-mentioned, which he had probably neither seen nor heard of, mentions the copy of one of the alphabets which he had seen at Dresden, and at once consigns it to Lutzenberger. He promises to resume the subject at large in some future part of his immense work, which, if existing, has not yet made its appearance.

As the prints by this fine engraver are very few in number, and extremely rare, the following list of them may not be unacceptable.

1. An oblong wood engraving, in length 11 inches by 3-1/2. It represents, on one side, Christ requiring the attention of a group of eight persons, consisting of a monk, a peasant with a flail, a female, &c. to a lighted taper on a candelabrum placed in the middle of the print; on the other side, a group of thirteen or fourteen persons, preceded by one who is looking into a pit in which is the word PLATO. Over his head is inscribed ARISTOTELES; he is followed by a pope, a bishop, monks, &c. &c.

2. Another oblong wood engraving, 6-1/2 inches by 2-1/2, in two compartments, divided by a pillar. In one, the Judgment of Solomon; in the other, Christ and the woman taken in adultery; he writes something on the ground with his finger. It has the date 1539.

3. Another, size as No. 2. An emperor is sitting in a court of justice with several spectators attending some trial. This is doubtful.

4. Another oblong print, 10-1/2 inches by 3, and in two compartments. 1.

David prostrate before the Deity in the clouds, accompanied by Manasses and a youth, over whom is inscribed OFFEN SVNDER. 2. A pope on a throne delivering some book, perhaps letters of indulgence, to a kneeling monk.

This very beautiful print has been called "The Traffic of Indulgences,"

and is minutely and correctly described by Jansen.[107]

5. A print, 12 inches by 6, representing a combat in a wood between several naked persons and a troop of peasants armed with instruments of husbandry. Below on the left, the letters [monogram: H =N=]. Annexed are two tablets, one of which is inscribed HANS LEVCZELLBVRGER FVRMSCHNIDER; on the other is an alphabet. Jansen has also mentioned this print.[108]

Brulliot describes a copy of it in the cabinet of prints belonging to the King of Bavaria, in which, besides the name, is the date MDXXII.[109]

6. A print of a dagger or knife case, in length 9 inches. At top, a figure inscribed VENVS has a lighted torch in one hand and a horn in the other; she is accompanied by Cupid. In the middle two boys are playing, and at bottom three others standing, one with a helmet.

7. A copy of Albert Durer's decollation of John the Baptist, with the mark [monogram: H L] reversed, is mentioned by Zani as certainly belonging to this artist.[110] In the index of names, he says, he finds his name thus written HANNS LVTZELBVRGER FORMSCHNIDER GENANT (chiamato) FRANCK, and calls him the true prince of engravers on wood.

8. An alphabet with a Dance of Death, the subjects of which, with a few exceptions, are the same as those in the other Dance; the designs, however, occasionally vary. In delicacy of drawing, in strength of character and in skill as to engraving they may be justly pronounced superior to every thing of the kind, and their excellence will probably remain a long time unrivalled. The figures are so small as almost to require the aid of lenses, the size of each letter being only an inch square. Zani had seen and admired this alphabet at Dresden.[111]

9. Another alphabet by the same artists. It is a Dance of Peasants, intermixed with other subjects, some of which are not of the most delicate nature. They are smaller than the letters in the preceding article, and are probably connected in point of design with the Dance of Peasants that Holbein is said to have painted at Basle.

10. Another alphabet, also by the same artists. This is in all respects equal in beauty and merit to the others, and exhibits groups of boys in the most amusing and playful attitudes and employments. The size of the letters is little more than half an inch square. These children much resemble those which Holbein probably added to the later editions of the Lyons engravings.[112]

The proofs of the above alphabets, may have been deposited by Lutzenberger in the public library of his native city. Whether they were cut on wood or on metal may admit of a doubt; but there is reason to believe that the old printers and type-cutters occasionally used blocks of metal instead of wood for their figured initial letters, and the term _formschneider_ equally applies to those who engraved in relief on either of those materials. Nothing can exceed the beauty and spirit of the design in these alphabets, nor the extreme delicacy and accurate minuteness of the engraving.

The letters in these respective alphabets were intended for the use of printers, and especially those of Basle, as Cratander, Bebelius, and Isingrin. Copies and imitations of them are to be found in many books printed at Zurich, Strasburg, Vienna, Augsburg, Frankfort, &c. and a few even in books printed at London by Waley, Purslowe, Marsh, and Nicholson, particularly in a quarto edition of Coverdale's Bible, if printed in the latter city; and one of them, a capital A, is in an edition of Stowe's Survey of London, 1618, 4to.

There is an unfortunate ambiguity connected with the marks that are found on ancient engravings in wood, and it has been a very great error on the part of all the writers who treat on such engravings, in referring the marks that accompany them to the block-cutters, or as the Germans properly denominate them the _formschneiders_, whilst, perhaps, the greatest part of them really belong to the designers, as is undoubtedly the case with respect to Albert Durer, Hans Schaufelin, Jost Amman, Tobias Stimmer, &c.

It may be laid down as a rule that there is no certainty as to the marks of engravers, except where they are accompanied with some implement of their art, especially a graving tool. Where the designer of the subject put his mark on the drawing which he made on, or for, the block, the engraver would, of course, copy it. Sometimes the marks of both designer and engraver are found on prints, and in these cases the ambiguity is consequently removed.

CHAPTER VIII.

_List of several editions of the Lyons work on the Dance of Death, with the mark of Lutzenberger.--Copies of them on wood.--Copies on copper by anonymous artists.--By Wenceslaus Hollar.--Other anonymous artists.--Nieuhoff Picard.--Rusting.--Mechel.--Crozat's drawings.--Deuchar.--Imitations of some of the subjects._

I.

"Les Simulachres et historiees faces de la Mort, autant elegamment pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginees. A Lyon, Soubz l'escu de Coloigne, MDXXXVIII." At the end "Excudebant Lugduni Melchior et Gaspar Trechsel fratres, 1538," 4to. On this title-page is a cut of a triple-headed figure crowned with wings, on a pedestal, over which a book with [Greek: GNoTHI SEAUTON]. Below, two serpents and two globes, with "usus me genuit." This has, 1. A dedication to Madame Jehanne de Touszele.

2. Diverses tables de mort, non painctes, mais extraictes de l'escripture saincte, colorees par Docteurs Ecclesiastiques, et umbragees par philosophes. 3. Over each print, passages from scripture, allusive to the subject, in Latin, and at bottom the substance of them in four French verses. 4. Figures de la mort moralement descriptes et depeinctes selon l'authorite de l'scripture, et des Sainctz Peres. 5. Les diverses mors des bons, et des maulvais du viel, et nouveau testament. 6. Des sepultures des justes. 7. Memorables authoritez, et sentences des philosophes, et orateurs Payens pour conformer les vivans a non craindre la mort. 7. De la necessite de la mort qui ne laisse riens estre par durable." With forty-one cuts. This may be safely regarded as the first edition of the work. There is nothing in the title page that indicates any preceding one.

II. "Les Simulachres et historiees faces de la mort, contenant la Medecine de l'ame, utile et necessaire non seulement aux malades mais a tous qui sont en bonne disposition corporelle. D'avantage, la forme et maniere de consoler les malades. Sermon de sainct Cecile Cyprian, intitule de Mortalite. Sermon de S. Jan Chrysostome, pour nous exhorter a patience: traictant aussi de la consommation de ce siecle, et du second advenement de Jesus Christ, de la joye eternelle des justes, de la peine et damnation des mauvais, et autres choses necessaires a un chascun chrestien, pour bien vivre et bien mourir. A Lyon, a l'escu de Coloigne, chez Jan et Francois Frellon freres," 1542, 12mo. With forty-one cuts. Then a moral epistle to the reader, in French. The descriptions of the cuts in Latin and French as before, and the pieces expressed in the title page.

III. "Imagines Mortis. His accesserunt, Epigrammata, e Gallico idiomate a Georgio aemylio in Latinum translata. Ad haec, Medicina animae, tam iis qui firma, quam qui adversa corporis valetudine praediti sunt, maxime necessaria. Ratio consolandi ob morbi gravitatem periculose decumbentes.

Quae his addita sunt, sequens pagina commonstrabit. Lugduni, sub scuto Coloniensi, 1545." With the device of the crab and the butterfly. At the end, "Lugduni Excudebant Joannes et Franciscus Frellonii fratres," 1545, 12mo. The whole of the text is in Latin, and translated, except the scriptural passages, from the French, by George aemylius, as he also states in some verses at the beginning; but several of the mottoes at bottom are different and enlarged. It has forty-two cuts, the additional one, probably not by the former artist, being that of the beggar sitting on the ground before an arched gate: extremely fine, particularly the beggar's head. This subject has no connection with the Dance of Death, and is placed in another part of the volume, though in subsequent editions incorporated with the other prints. The "Medicina animae" is very different from the French one. There is some reason for supposing that the Frellons had already printed an edition with aemylius's text in 1542. This person was an eminent German divine of Mansfelt, and the author of many pious works. In the present edition the first cut of the creation exhibits a crack in the block from the top to the bottom, but it had been in that state in 1543, as appears from an impression of it in Holbein's Bible of that date. It is found so in all the subsequent editions of the present work, with the exception of those in Italian of 1549 and in the Bible of 1549, in which the crack appears to have been closed, probably by cramping; but the block again separated afterwards.

This edition is of some importance with respect to the question as to the priority of the publication of the work in France or Germany, or, in other words, whether at Lyons or Basle. It is accompanied by some lines addressed to the reader, which begin in the following manner:

Accipe jucundo praesentia carmina vultu, Seu Germane legis, sive ea Galle legis: In quibus extremae qualis sit mortis imago Reddidit imparibus Musa Latina modis _Gallia quae dederat lepidis epigrammata verbis Teutona convertens est imitata manus._ Da veniam nobis doctissime Galle, videbis Versibus appositis reddita si qua parum.

Now, had the work been originally published in the German language, aemylius, himself a German, would, as already observed, scarcely have preferred a French text for his Latin version. This circumstance furnishes likewise, an argument against the supposed existence of German verses at the bottom of the early impressions of the cuts already mentioned.

A copy of this edition, now in the library of the British Museum, was presented to Prince Edward by Dr. William Bill, accompanied with a Latin dedication, dated from Cambridge, 19 July, 1546, wherein he recommends the prince's attention to the figures in the book, in order to remind him that all must die to obtain immortality; and enlarges on the necessity of living well. He concludes with a wish that the Lord will long and happily preserve his life, and that he may finally reign to all eternity with his _most Christian father_. Bill was appointed one of the King's chaplains in ordinary, 1551, and was made the first Dean of Westminster in the reign of Elizabeth.

IV. "Imagines Mortis. Duodecim imaginibus praeter priores, totidemque inscriptionibus praeter epigrammata e Gallicis a Georgio aemylio in Latinum versa, cumulatae. Quae his addita sunt, sequens pagina commonstrabit.

Lugduni sub scuto Coloniensi, 1547." With the device of the crab and butterfly. At the end, "Excudebat Joannes Frellonius, 1547," 12mo. This edition has twelve more cuts than those of 1538 and 1542, and eleven more than that of 1545, being, the soldier, the gamblers, the drunkards, the fool, the robber, the blind man, the wine carrier, and four of boys. In all fifty-three. Five of the additional cuts have a single line only in the frames, whilst the others have a double one. All are nearly equal in merit to those which first appeared in 1538.

V. "Icones Mortis, Duodecim imaginibus praeter priores, totidemque inscriptionibus, praeter epigrammata e Gallicis a Georgio aemylio in Latinum versa, cumulatae. Quae his addita sunt, sequens pagina commonstrabit, Lugduni sub scuto Coloniensi, 1547." 12mo. At the end, Excudebat Johannes Frellonius, 1547. This edition contains fifty-three cuts, and is precisely similar to the one described immediately before, except that it is entitled _Icones_, instead of _Imagines_ Mortis.

VI. "Les Images de la Mort. Auxquelles sont adjoustees douze figures.

Davantage, la medecine de l'ame, la consolation des malades, un sermon de mortalite, par Sainct Cyprian, un sermon de patience, par Sainct Jehan Chrysostome. A Lyon. A l'escu de Cologne, chez Jehan Frellon, 1547." With the device of the crab and butterfly. At the end, "Imprime a Lyon a l'escu de Coloigne, par Jehan Frellon, 1547. 12mo." The verses at bottom of the cuts the same as in the edition of 1538, with similar ones for the additional. In all, fifty-three cuts.

VII. "Simolachri historie, e figure de la morte. La medicina de l'anima.

Il modo, e la via di consolar gl'infermi. Un sermone di San Cipriano, de la mortalita. Due orationi, l'un a Dio, e l'altra a Christo. Un sermone di S. Giovan. Chrisostomo, che ci essorta a patienza. Aiuntovi di nuovo molte figure mai piu stampate. In Lyone appresso Giovan Frellone MDXLIX." 12mo.

With the device of the crab and butterfly. At the end, the same device on a larger scale in a circle. Fifty-three cuts. The scriptural passages are in Latin. To this edition Frellon has prefixed a preface, in which he complains of a pirated copy of the work in Italian by a printer at Venice, which will be more particularly noticed hereafter. He maintains that the cuts in this spurious edition are far less beautiful than the _French_ ones, and this passage goes very far in aid of the argument that they are not of German origin. Frellon, by way of revenge, and to save the trouble of making a new translation of the articles that compose the volume, makes use of that of his Italian competitor.

VIII. "Icones Mortis. Duodecim Imaginibus praeter priores, totidemque inscriptionibus, praeter epigrammata e Gallicis a Georgio aemylio in Latinum versa, cumulatae. Quae his addita sunt, sequens pagina commonstrabit.

Basileae, 1554. 12mo." With fifty-three cuts. It would not be very easy to account for the absence of the name of the Basle printer.

IX. "Les Images de la Mort, auxquelles sont adjoustees dix sept figures.

Davantage, la medecine de l'ame. La consolation des malades. Un sermon de mortalite, par Saint Cyprian. Un sermon de patience, par Saint Jehan Chrysostome. A Lyon, par Jehan Frellon, 1562." With the device of the crab and butterfly. At the end, "A Lyon, par Symphorien Barbier," 12mo. This edition has five additional cuts, viz. 1. A group of boys, as a triumphal procession, with military trophies. 2. The bride; the husband plays on a lute, whilst Death leads the wife in tears. 3. The bridegroom led by Death blowing a trumpet. Both these subjects are appropriately described in the verses below. 4. A group of boy warriors, one on horseback with a standard. 5. Another group of boys with drums, horns, and trumpets. These additional cuts are designed and engraved in the same masterly style as the others, but it is now impossible to ascertain the artists who have executed them. From the decorations to several books published at Lyons it is very clear that there were persons in that city capable of the task.

Holbein had been dead eight years, after a long residence in London.

Du Verdier, in his Bibliotheque Francoise, mentions this edition, and adds that it was translated from the French into Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, and English;[113] a statement that stands greatly in need of confirmation as to the last three languages, but this writer, on too many occasions, deserves but small compliment for his accuracy.

X. "Imagines Mortis: item epigrammata e Gall. a G. aemilio in Latinum versa. Lugdun. Frellonius, 1574." 12mo.[114]

XI. In 1654 a Dutch work appeared with the following title, "De Doodt vermaskert met swerelts ydelheyt afghedaen door G. V. Wolsschaten, verciert met de constighe Belden vanden maerden Schilder Hans Holbein.

_i. e._ Death masked, with the world's vanity, by G. V. Wolsschaten, ornamented with the ingenious images of the famous painter Hans Holbein.

T'Antwerpen, by Petrus Bellerus." This is on an engraved frontispiece of tablet, over which are spread a man's head and the skin of two arms supported by two Deaths blowing trumpets. Below, a spade, a pilgrim's staff, a scepter, and a crosier, with a label, on which is "sceptra ligonibus aequat." Then follows another title-page, with the same words, and the addition of Geeraerdt Van Wolsschaten's designation, "Prevost van sijne conincklijcke Majesteyts Munten des Heertoogdoms van Brabant, &c.

MDCLIV." 12mo. The author of the text, which is mixed up with poetry and historical matter, was prefect of the mint in the Duchy of Brabant.[115]

This edition contains eighteen cuts, among which the following subjects are from the original blocks. 1. Three boys. 2. The married couple. 3. The pedlar. 4. The shipwreck. 5. The beggar. 6. The corrupt judge. 7. The astrologer. 8. The old man. 9. The physician. 10. The priest with the eucharist. 11. The monk. 12. The abbess. 13. The abbot. 14. The duke. Four others, viz. the child, the emperor, the countess, and the pope, are copies, and very badly engraved. The blocks of the originals appear to have fallen into the hands of an artist, who probably resided at Antwerp, and several of them have his mark, [monogram: SA], concerning which more will be said under one of the ensuing articles. As many engravings on wood by this person appeared in the middle of the sixteenth century, it is probable that he had already used these original blocks in some edition of the Dance of Death that does not seem to have been recorded. There are evident marks of retouching in these cuts, but when they first appeared cannot now be ascertained. The mark might have been placed on them, either to denote ownership, according to the usual practice at that time, or to indicate that they had been repaired by that particular artist.

All these editions, except that of 1574, have been seen and carefully examined on the present occasion: the supposed one of 1530 has not been included in this list, and remains to be seen and accurately described, if existing, by competent witnesses.

Papillon, in his Traite de la gravure en bois, has given an elaborate, but, as usual with him, a very faulty description of these engravings. He enlarges on the beauty of the last cut with the allegorical coat of arms, and particularly on that of the gentleman whose right hand he states to be placed on its side, whilst it certainly is extended, and touches with the back of it the mantle on which the helmet and shield of arms are placed.