of space, the delightful composition, the knowledge of nature’s forms and of atmospheric aspects, which appear far more markedly still in the paintings of this master. [Illustration: LE BOUVIER Claude Lorrain] The new awakening in French engraving in the seventeenth century is especially notable in portrait engraving. Germany has lost its leadership in the graphic arts; the great days of Italian engraving are likewise over, though Italy continues a source of inspiration to painters of all nations, she can add no vital, helpful impulse to engraving. Such life-giving influences could only come from the Netherlands, where the great tide of art is now at its height, where painting _and_ the graphic arts have unfolded all their glory. Here the etcher’s and the engraver’s technique, very highly developed, is growing yet in perfection. What could be more natural than the powerful stimulus exerted by such excellence on French engraving? Its greatest triumphs coincide, in point of time, with the period of political supremacy of France during the reign of Louis XIV. The “Grand Monarque” infused grandeur into all the arts. The stately graver is the medium aptly chosen for numerous portraits of the “roi soleil” himself. In this period of teeming fertility in portraiture, we find an abundance of likenesses of statesmen, generals, princes, nobles, of leaders in art, science, literature, and of distinguished churchmen. One cannot look through these prints without being struck by the prevalence, among them, of an element of stately aloofness which removes these men and women from the everyday sphere of life. They lack some of the freedom, some of the lifelike appearance, which characterize the achievements of the Netherlanders. [Illustration: DUC DE GUISE Claude Mellan] In glancing through the ranks of the French engravers, we come upon Claude Mellan, an artist-engraver of striking originality. He departs from the beaten track of cross-hatching, and develops a manner of shading which relies--for the rendering of shadows--solely on the swelling line peculiar to graver-work. His technique is seen in the portrait of the young Duc de Guise here reproduced. Lines very lightly traced in the lighted portions, grow in strength and swell proportionately to the depth of shadow to be expressed. The direction of the line and its degree of heaviness are the means of expression used by Mellan. The difficulties inherent in such a technique are evident, and it is equally evident that the elimination of cross-hatching is a heavy handicap to an engraver. Naturally enough, Claude Mellan did not have any following to speak of among engravers. [Illustration: ANTOINE VITRÉ Jean Morin]