Such subjects as _The Three Living and the Three Dead Kings_ and _Young Man and Death_ are variations upon a theme which was uppermost in the minds of many men at this time, when the _Ars Moriendi_ and the _Dance of Death_ were constant reminders of man’s mortality. In agreeable contrast is the dry-point of _Two Lovers_--a little masterpiece--one of his most charming designs. “The sweet shyness of the maiden, the tender glances of the lover and the soft pressure of their hands are rendered with an inimitable grace, and the work is altogether of such exceptional quality that we may count this delightful picture as one of the rarest gems of German engraving in the fifteenth century.”[7] [7] The Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet. By Max Lehrs. International Chalcographical Society, 1893 and 1894. p. 7. The _Stag Hunt_ is filled with the spirit of outdoor life, the exhilaration of the chase, and the joy of the hounds in pursuing their quarry. No other engraver of the fifteenth century has left us any such truthful rendering of a hunting scene, and the life-enhancing quality of this little dry-point makes even Dürer’s rendering of animal forms seem cold and relatively lifeless. [Illustration: MASTER OF THE AMSTERDAM CABINET. STAG HUNT Size of the original engraving, 3⅝ × 6¾ inches In the Royal Print Room, Amsterdam] [Illustration: MASTER OF THE AMSTERDAM CABINET. ST. GEORGE Size of the original engraving, 5⅝ × 4⅛ inches In the British Museum] The master’s knowledge of the anatomy of the horse, and his treatment of that noble beast, unfortunately fall far short of his rendering of the dogs and stags in the _Stag Hunt_. The figure of _St. George_ is sufficiently graceful and convincing, but the horse (seemingly of the rocking-horse variety) can hardly be proclaimed a complete success. In spite of this obvious defect it is one of the artist’s finest plates, remarkable for its exceptional force and animation. The unique proof, of which the British Museum is the fortunate possessor, is in splendid condition and rich in burr. And now, with some trepidation of spirit, we approach ALBRECHT DÜRER and his engraved work. His many-sidedness foredooms to failure any attempt at an adequate and comprehensive treatment. His compositions, as Max Allihn justly says, may fittingly be likened to the Sphinx of the old legend; for “they attack everyone who, either as critic, historian or harmless wanderer, ventures in the realm of art, and propose to him their unsolvable riddles.”