Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1871 edition. Excerpt: ... THE WONDERS OF ENGRAVING. CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN OF ENGRAVING. BEFORE reviewing the various schools of En-graving, and studying the growth of this art in each separate country, it seems expedient to us to recapitulate in a few words, the very diverse and often contradictory opinions put forth concerning its origin. By doing this, we shall avoid unneces-sary repetition, and, without occupying ourselves unduly with the purely archaeological question, we can ascertain the characteristics of each school, ex-amine the works worthy of attention executed in each country, and enumerate the artists whom future gene-rations will remember and judge. We must not forget to say that we intend to occupy ourselves solely with that kind of Engraving from which impressions are taken; and, purposely neglecting ancient engraving, we commence our work only at B the period when, Printing having been discovered, Engraving became a new art and produced important results. Let us bear in mind, to begin with, that there are two processes, very different in their execution, although similar enough in their results--engraving on metal and engraving on wood; in the first, all that is to be impressed on the paper is cut in sunken lines on the metal; the second involves work of a diametrically opposite kind; all that is to appear in the proof must be raised on the wood, and the graver must carefully remove all those parts which the printer's press is not to touch. Whole volumes might be written if we wished to discuss or even to review the opinions put forth by scholars on the origin of engraving. Every country has taken part in the discussion, and eminent men on all sides have become the champions, each of his own country. National pride has often interfered in the...