Hans Holbein the Younger, Volume 1 (of 2)Chamberlain, Arthur B. (Arthur Bensley)
History
Hans Holbein the Younger, Volume 1 (of 2)
Chamberlain, Arthur B. (Arthur Bensley)
Holbein, Hans, 1497-1543 -- Criticism and interpretation; Painters -- Germany -- Biography
In addition to works of this nature, Ambrosius produced, during the few
years he was in Basel, a considerable number of designs for title-pages,
initial letters, and other decorations for books, issued by Froben,
Cratander, Adam Petri, Thomas Wolff, and Pamphilus Gegenbach. One of the
best known is the “Calumny of Apelles,”[152] the painting described by
Lucian, which bears the monogram of Ambrosius and the date 1517. It was
first used in Erasmus’ version of the New Testament, published by Froben
in 1519. He had a share, too, in the numerous illustrations and
ornaments which Froben provided for the first edition of Sir Thomas
More’s _Utopia_, upon which work his brother, Urs Graf, and others, were
also engaged. Ambrosius was the designer of the charming little picture
representing the scene in the garden of Petrus Ægidius in Antwerp in
which Raphael Hythlodæus, the traveller, is describing to his host and
Sir Thomas his adventures in the island of Utopia.[153] A larger
woodcut, with a bird’s-eye view of the island, on which the chief places
are marked as given in the text, with Hythlodæus in the foreground
pointing out its features to Ægidius and More, is also his work (Pl.
22).[154] It is difficult in every case to separate the designs of the
two brothers in this field of art, more particularly as in many
instances they have been so badly cut that much of the beauty of the
original line has been lost. In book-illustration the art of the two
young men had much in common, though Ambrosius was never as powerful or
varied in conception as Hans, nor possessed of as great a mastery of
technical execution. His woodcuts are not so thoroughly imbued with the
true spirit of the Italian Renaissance, nor had he the same gift of
producing the effect of largeness of design within an inch or two of
space. His figures, too, are often too short, with the head out of
proportion to the body. Yet much of his decorative work has considerable
charm, and fulfils its purpose admirably. Some forty woodcuts after his
designs, including a number of initial letters, are known, of which it
is impossible to attempt any description here.[155] His skill as a
designer for glass-painting has been already noted; and among his few
drawings are two small roundels, in the Karlsruhe Gallery, of “Pyramus
and Thisbe,” and “Hercules and Antæus,”[156] which are very pleasing,
and in their delicate and somewhat “pretty” handling have great
resemblance to a number of the marginal drawings to the _Praise of
Folly_ which are now given to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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