,the ,mentor1 ,no4 #dh1 ,two ,early ,german ,painters3 ,drer and ,holbein ,,two ,,early ,,german ,,painters ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,by ,,frank ,,jewett ,,mather1 ,jr4 ,marquand ,professor of ,art and ,archeology1 ,princeton ,university ,illustration ,illustration ,,the ,,mentor ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,illustration ,,department ,,of ,,fine ,,arts ,,mentor ,,gravures ,,portrait ,,of ,,himself ,drer ,,portrait ,,of ,,young ,,woman ,drer ,,hieronymus ,,holzschuher ,drer ,,erasmus ,holbein ,,meier ,,madonna ,holbein ,,queen ,,jane ,,seymour ,holbein ,,albrecht ,d,,rer ,a great painter gives us much more than skilfully arranged lines and colors4 ,these are only the symbols by which we may share his vision of the world4 ,what we must try to find in any work of art is the soul of a great man4 ,this is particularly true of so serious an artist as ,albrecht ,drer 7doo-rer7 of ,nuremberg1 who was born in #adga1 a little before the outbreak of the ,protestant ,reformation4 ,in that movement he shared heartily1 but without bitterness for the ,catholic ,church1 in which he had been bred4 ,he was a broad-minded ,christian1 a thoughtful and thorough craftsman4 ,in the little drawing he did of himself at thirteen we see the serious1 worried lad already a competent draftsman4 ,we may see him again in the ,madrid portrait1 the confident young painter of twenty-seven2 at ,munich1 the mature and dignified artist of thirty-six2 and finally1 in the haggard woodcut profile1 as a man grown old with unabated ardor of spirit4 ,the accent of study and concentration is present at every stage4 ,he painted so carefully that such work did not pay him4 ,the engravings1 of which he did about #ajj with his own hand1 brought him in a comfortable fortune4 ,they are marvels of faithful observation and of minute execution4 ,when old age and illness made painting and engraving difficult1 he wrote books on the proportions of the human body and the art of fortification4 ,we must not expect a man of such stern and high ideals to be charming4 ,he may1 however1 have many true things to tell about life and character that it behooves us to know4 ,,the ,,engravings ,illustration3 ,,michael ,,wohlgemuth ,by ,drer ,at fifteen ,drer was apprenticed to the painter and woodcutter1 ,michael ,wohlgemuth4 ,the lad saw the advantages of the new process of woodcutting and copperplate engraving1 by which a design might be multiplied4 ,then the good wife ,agnes1 whom he married by parental arrangement at twenty-three1 came to be a thrifty saleswoman for the prints4 ,the work was of the most taxing kind1 being all done under a magnifying lens4 ,when the firm lines had been graven in the copper they were filled with ink1 which under heavy pressure from a roller press was transferred to paper4 ,the lines of ,drer were so fine and closely spaced that the whole print got a charming pearly quality which is well represented in our reproductions4 ,bible stories1 the life of ,christ and the ,virgin1 popular customs1 portraits of his learned friends1 and a strange series of plates having a moral meaning may be specially noted4 ,in #aeac and #aead he engraved what are called the four master plates1 two of which are reproduced4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,knight1 ,,death1 ,,and ,,the ,,devil1 by ,drer ,,the ,,knight1 ,,death1 ,,and ,,the ,,devil4 ,upon a splendid steed an armored knight rides through a rocky defile1 high above which is seen his goal1 an imposing castle4 ,forms of horror beset the traveler4 ,the horse sniffs impatiently at a skull in the road4 ,king ,death himself1 mounted on a jaded nag1 holds up an hourglass4 ,the ,knight's hours are measured4 ,behind the horse stalks a swinelike form1 which may represent the lower temptations that assail a warrior of the ,lord4 ,regardless of these nightmare shapes1 the ,knight holds his restive horse in the road4 ,fortitude has overcome sin and fear of death4 ,such seems the large1 informing idea of a picture which would be exquisite if regarded merely as minute delineations of forms of rocks and trees1 and textures of hair and armor4 ,illustration3 ,,saint ,,jerome ,,in ,,his ,,study1 by ,drer ,,saint ,,jerome ,,in ,,his ,,study4 ,in depicting the ,cardinal ,saint1 who in the late fourth century translated the ,holy ,scriptures into eloquent ,latin1 ,drer may well have wished to emphasize the enviable serenity of the scholar's lot in contrast with the perilous course of the ,knight4 ,everything in this study speaks of peace and steady1 satisfactory endeavor4 ,the light shimmers upon wall1 floor1 and ceiling like a blessing4 ,it seems as if no sight or sound of troublous or unworthy sort could enter this scholar's sanctuary4 ,the skull and hourglass are no longer symbols of dread4 ,the saint is oblivious of the passage of time1 and looks forward to death as the opening of fuller knowledge4 ,the elaborate and beautiful details of the room assure us that this is no mere dream of an idealist1 but an actual place that a student of the divine mysteries might inhabit4 ,a different kind of peacefulness pervades the small engraving of the ,hermit ,saint1 ,anthony of ,egypt1 behind whom rise the picturesque walls and roofs of ,drer's own ,nuremberg4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,artist',s ,,father ,by ,drer ,,the ,,woodcuts ,the engravings are by ,drer's own hand2 the woodcuts are copies of his designs by capable assistants4 ,as early as #adii he had published the impressive illustrations for the ,revelation of ,saint ,john4 ,for terror and ferocity the print representing the four riders who begin the destruction of mankind before the last day has never been equaled4 ,for twelve years he worked at the designs for the ,life of the ,virgin1 and a large and a small series of the ,passion of ,christ4 ,one woodcut from the ,little ,passion1 ,christ in ,gethsemane with the sleeping apostles1 is reproduced4 ,he has used the small scale of the plate to indicate a peculiar heartlessness in the disciples calmly sleeping so near their agonized ,lord4 ,the postures of vehement prayer and of complete exhaustion are affectingly truthful4 ,the basis of such designs is the artist's own pen drawing1 which is pasted or traced on a pear-wood plank4 ,all the blank spaces are cut away with a knife1 leaving the lines in relief4 ,this wood block may be set up with type pages and printed on an ordinary press4 ,it is thus better adapted to book illustration than engraving1 which requires special printing4 ,about #aeaa ,drer reprinted the ,revelation1 and published the three new books4 ,they were justly popular1 and from that time he painted only when he pleased4 ,the woodcuts1 which faithfully represent drawings made with a coarse quill pen1 will look rude to eyes accustomed to the often meaningless finish of modern illustrations4 ,it will require patience to see how direct1 sincere1 and vigorous is the expression4 ,with so coarse a tool nothing can be left to chance or smoothed down4 ,every line must tell1 and every line in the ,drer woodcut does tell its story of structure and feeling4 ,drer's woodcuts are as fine in their way as his more popular engravings4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,four ,,horsemen ,,of ,,the ,,apocalypse ,by ,drer ,illustration3 ,,the ,,agony ,,in ,,the ,,garden ,by ,drer ,illustration3 ,,the ,,descent ,,from ,,the ,,cross ,by ,drer ,,the ,,painted ,,portraits ,illustration3 ,,john ,,and ,,peter ,,paul ,,and ,,mark ,by ,drer4 ,from the first ,drer revealed in portraiture an inflexible curiosity as to form and insight as to character4 ,the earlier portraits1 those of his master ,wohlgemuth1 and of his own father1 have a speaking lifelikeness4 ,but the very endeavor to omit nothing and say everything with resolute truthfulness makes some of the early portraits stiff and forbidding4 ,this defect is hardly noticeable in the three admirable portraits of his maturity1 which are our special theme4 ,they were all painted after his ,venetian visit of #aejf4 ,there he saw portraiture as faithful as his own1 but softer and more agreeable4 ,open-minded student that he always was1 he readily learned the lesson4 ,the charming head of a young woman represents the fruits of this new experience4 ,with a comeliness that is by no means merely pretty1 one gets the sense also of character and of capacity4 ,the tightly drawn hair1 the head held alertly a little forward1 tell of aggressiveness with self-control1 of perfect physical and mental well-being4 ,it was such strong mothers as this that bore the men who in finance1 manufactures1 commerce1 and scholarship made the little city of ,nuremberg famous4 ,initials on the bodice suggest that this may be the wife ,agnes1 who was an efficient business partner and a terror to certain easygoing friends4 ,firm yet minutely varied lines1 modeling soft and lifelike but also decisive1--such are the technical merits of this masterpiece4 ,illustration3 ,d,,rer1 by himself ,in the ,prado1 ,madrid4 ,among ,drer's portraits of himself1 the head in which the master gave himself the aspect of a ,christ is the favorite of many people4 ,the workmanship is of extraordinary carefulness and beauty4 ,every detail of the fur1 of the flowing hair1 of the powerful1 slender hand1 is there2 but the effect remains large4 ,there is in the face a sense of dignity1 reserve1 decision1 and sympathy4 ,other portraits are probably much more like ,drer as ,nuremberg saw him4 ,this presents his own ideal of himself as creative artist1 exemplifying a spiritual beauty that he ever strove to attain4 ,despite an old inscription reading #aejj1 we must date this portrait after that ,venetian visit which brought to ,drer new power and self-confidence4 ,illustration3 ,,emperor ,,maximilian ,i ,by ,drer4 ,in the ,imperial ,gallery1 ,vienna4 ,efficiency was the trait ,drer most admired4 ,his merchant friend ,hieronymus ,holzschuher possessed this quality in a high degree1 as his portrait shows4 ,he still directs toward an admiring world the bluest1 brightest1 steadiest eyes ever painted4 ,the silvery hair and beard glisten like a halo before a blue sky4 ,the firm1 thin lips under the scant1 well kept mustache still tell of the sagacity and persistence that won for ,hieronymus a fortune and the mayoralty of a proud city4 ,nor is this power and rectitude without kindness4 ,one feels the living presence of a man absolutely just1 but also quick to see another man's side1 and withal humorous4 ,of an old age not too frosty and wholly vigorous1 this picture is a most remarkable embodiment4 ,that ,drer's genius is as marked in a slight sketch as in elaborately executed works1 witness the charcoal study which he did of his old mother just before her death4 ,have a few lines ever told more piteously of resigned decrepitude8 ,,the ,,four ,,apostles ,in his last years ,drer painted as a legacy to his native town the stately figures of the apostles ,paul1 ,mark1 ,peter1 and ,john4 ,already the ,protestant movement which he held so dear was breaking up into wrangling sects4 ,drer wished to recall men to the founts of ,christian wisdom and unity4 ,the apostles wear their grand robes with ,roman dignity4 ,the heads are sharply distinguished by temperament4 ,the burning determination of ,saint ,paul is very unlike the excitability of ,saint ,mark2 the inward serenity of ,saint ,john most unlike the careworn pensiveness of ,saint ,peter4 ,these are men to move a world4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 #aebh1 he passed away1 only fifty-seven years old1 but exhausted by constant effort4 ,the great bankers1 merchants1 scholars1 and craftsmen of ,nuremberg knew that a notable citizen had gone4 ,he had known familiarly ,melanchthon and ,luther4 ,raphael had been glad to exchange drawings with him4 ,his engravings and woodcuts were admired throughout ,europe4 ,after four centuries he remains the finest exemplar in art of the peculiar steadfastness and thoroughness of the ,german race4 ,goethe1 the greatest of ,german poets1 has written the finest tribute to ,germany's greatest artist3 ,wholly unsoftened and unquibbled1 ,naught prettified or vainly scribbled1 ,the very world thou shalt descry ,as seen by ,albrecht ,drer's eye-- ,her sturdy life and manhood strong1 ,her inward might enduring long4 ,,hans ,,holbein ,illustration3 ,,holbein',s ,,wife ,,and ,,children ,in ,basel ,museum4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,georg ,,gyze4 ,by ,holbein4 ,in the ,berlin ,gallery4 ,illustration3 ,,holbein1 by himself ,at #be years of age4 ,whoever understands the art of ,drer needs little introduction to that of ,holbein 7hole-bine74 ,hans ,holbein was born in #adig1 when ,drer was just beginning to be famous1 at the imperial city of ,augsburg1 which was merely a larger ,nuremberg4 ,holbein's father was a painter1 and the lad was early perfected in the craft4 ,by his seventeenth year he was working at ,basel1 where for some ten years he practised book illustration1 designing for metal and glass1 religious subjects1 wall painting4 ,such versatility he renounced later for the better paying branch of portraiture4 ,in #aebf some ,german merchants called him over to ,london4 ,there he soon became court painter to ,henry ,,viii1 and there he remained for the most part until his death by the plague in #aedc4 ,he was one of the first of those cosmopolitan portrait painters who follow their market1 a homeless man1 separated from wife and children1 a completely detached person4 ,that he was fitted for the part1 the sturdy1 confident portrait of himself shows4 ,as a painter ,holbein was ,drer's superior1 though inferior to him as a man4 ,where ,drer set his bright colors in rather harsh combinations1 ,holbein worked out arrangements of mosaiclike depth and brilliance4 ,usually the background is pale blue1 green1 or other solid tone1 against which the pale flesh tints1 with crimson1 green1 or black of the rich costumes1 glow like some precious enamel4 ,he is as accurate in his drawing as ,drer1 with less sense of effort4 ,illustration3 ,,studies ,,from ,,life1 ,,in ,,the ,,windsor ,,collection ,by ,holbein4 ,illustration3 ,,sieur de ,,morette1 by ,holbein ,holbein painted the profile portrait of the scholar ,erasmus about #aebc4 ,erasmus was not merely very learned but also a wit1 and ,holbein has combined with the self-control and concentration of the face a sense of astuteness4 ,the set lips would readily break into a smile4 ,the gentle and careful pose of the hands is noteworthy4 ,it is as if the great stylist caressed the paper to invite a happy phrase4 ,very effective too is the setting of the figure in the frame4 ,everything forms a beautiful pattern4 ,cut off the margin ever so little1 and the figure will seem out of balance4 ,illustration3 ,,duke ,,of ,,norfolk1 by ,holbein ,finely composed again is the famous ,madonna of the ,meier family4 ,the kneeling figures make the base of a pyramid1 the lines of which are carried up by the ,madonna's cloak and the ,christ ,child's outstretched hand4 ,perhaps the formal arrangement and the stately niche are a little out of keeping with the evident simplicity of all the people4 ,in fact1 the greatness of the picture lies mainly in its vitality1 in the sense of strength and devotion it conveys4 ,holbein1 like ,drer1 conceives the ,virgin simply as a ,german mother1 none too intelligent1 and rather ungraceful1 but wholly wrapped up in the ,divine ,child1 who is after all much like an ordinary ,german baby4 ,the gentleness of ,mary's clasped hands is one of the many beautifully studied details4 ,a consummate example of his work is the ,jane ,seymour of #aecf4 ,in the third wife of ,henry ,,viii ,holbein had only a moderately good subject4 ,she seems a stolid person4 ,yet a certain shrewdness is also in the face4 ,the setting in the frame is perfect1 and the gold-embroidered robes and jewelry are done with a quiet dexterity that simply takes one's breath away4 ,the sketch for the portrait is preserved4 ,holbein always made a careful crayon drawing for every portrait1 introducing slight tints1 or even writing down the color of hair1 eyes1 etc4 ,from such a study1 which was made in a few hours1 the picture was painted4 ,we have then the most lifelike portraits known to art painted with the model absent4 ,today artists plague themselves and the sitter to poorer purpose4 ,by utmost concentration upon the original drawing1 ,holbein seems to have omitted all unimportant or merely general traits of his subject1 fixing upon the few that were really characteristic4 ,moreover1 he stood upon his first reading of the character4 ,at any rate1 these splendid sketches are the finest flower of ,holbein's genius4 ,scores of them are preserved at ,windsor ,castle4 ,i reproduce only the rather vain and weak face of the poet1 warrior1 and dandy1 the ,earl of ,surrey4 ,i must repeat that ,holbein was less of a man but in some ways more of an artist than ,drer1 unqualifiedly superior as a mere painter4 ,drer was full of profound ideas about religion and life4 ,his work is truly a criticism of the life of his age4 ,holbein had virtually no ideas1 and genially accepted his world as very good to live and paint in4 ,he brought not a great mind to his art1 but a tolerant temper1 a most discerning eye1 and a magnificently sure hand4 ,illustration3 ,,holbein1 by himself ,,supplementary ,,reading ,,life ,,of ,,albrecht ,d,,rer 7,translated from the ,german47--,by ,moritz ,thausing4 ,the standard biography4 ,,albrecht ,d,,rer--78,classics of ,art074 ,complete collection of reproductions of ,drer's works in half tone4 ,,albrecht ,d,,rer--,by ,lina ,eckstein4 7,popular ,library of ,art47 ,a concise but readable epitome of the main facts4 ,,albrecht ,d,,rer--,by ,t4 ,sturge ,moore4 7,scribner's47 ,somewhat fuller and of excellent literary quality4 ,,albrecht ,d,,rer--,by ,frederick ,nchter4 7,macmillan47 ,especially recommended as a biography and for excellent cuts of good scale at a moderate price4 ,,hans ,,holbein ,,and ,,his ,,times4 7,translated from the ,german7--,by ,a4 ,woltmann4 ,the standard biography4 ,,hans ,,holbein--,by ,g4 ,s4 ,davies4 ,a recent and thorough work1 in folio1 with many illustrations4 ,,hans ,,holbein--78,classics of ,art074 ,useful collection of half tone cuts of all his work at a moderate price4 ,,the ,,mentor ,,issued ,,semi-,,monthly ,,by ,the ,mentor ,association1 ,inc4 #cha ,fourth ,ave41 ,new ,york1 ,n4 ,y4 ,volume #a ,number #dh ,,annual ,,subscription1 ,,four ,,dollars4 ,,single ,,copies ,,twenty ,,cents4 ,,foreign ,,postage1 ,,seventy-,,five ,,cents ,,extra4 ,,canadian ,,postage1 ,,fifty ,,cents ,,extra4 ,,entered ,,at ,,the ,,post ,,office ,,at ,,new ,,york1 ,n4 ,y41 ,,as ,,second-,,class ,,matter4 ,editorial ,in the letters that we have received from members of ,the ,mentor ,association we have had appreciation in full measure from readers of mature minds4 ,the young people were yet to be heard from4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it meant a great deal to us1 therefore1 to receive a letter from a teacher concerning the work that she was doing with ,the ,mentor4 ,she had under her charge a class in ,high ,school1 the pupils varying in age from #ad to #ah years4 ,the teacher has been using ,the ,mentor regularly4 ,she distributes the pictures and the pupils read ,monday's ,daily ,reading on ,monday1 and so following1 day by day throughout the week4 ,on ,friday afternoon she gives an hour to ,the ,mentor4 ,the article in ,the ,mentor is read aloud to the class and also the ,saturday ,daily ,reading4 ,the teacher then reviews the subject with the pupils and asks them questions4 ,in this way1 she tells us1 her class thoroughly absorbs each weekly subject in turn4 ,since receiving this letter we have made inquiry1 and we find that a number of teachers are doing the same thing4 ,we call the attention of teachers generally to this4 ,it is a plan worth trying4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so much for the reading matter and the profit to be obtained for children therefrom4 ,we have said nothing about the pictures1 and surely it is not necessary to lay stress on the appeal made to children by beautiful pictures4 ,and it is not merely a dull1 crude interest that it arouses4 ,it is in many cases an intelligent taste1 that readily responds to cultivation4 ,a writer in one of our daily papers called attention recently to an impressive scene that may be observed every ,saturday morning at the ,metropolitan ,museum4 ,it is a gathering of school children1 who are assembled with open eyes and ears and eager and hungry minds to see and hear and know the things of beauty and of curious interest in the museum4 ,these pupils are invited by the ,metropolitan ,museum itself1 and under the sponsorship of ,the ,school ,art ,league of ,new ,york4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when this was started the ,museum people1 it is said1 doubted whether it would work4 ,they were afraid perhaps that the school children would feel that they were being 8done good to0 and wouldn't come4 ,as a matter of fact1 however1 those who came first told the others that the visit was simply wonderful1 and more and more came1 until now you may see #fjj children at the ,metropolitan on ,saturday morning1 hanging on the lips of the people who are telling them about the art of the pictures and the stories that go with them4 ,it is a most inspiring sight for those who are interested in education4 99 99 99 99 99 ,most children are born with a certain understanding of the beautiful and a longing for it4 ,they 8want to know10 and they listen eagerly as long as anyone can tell them something that is interesting as well as informing4 ,that is the attitude of mind that ,the ,mentor addresses itself to1 whether it is the mind of a child or of a grown-up4 ,we have had plenty of assurances that ,the ,mentor has interested and helped older readers4 ,it is most gratifying to learn of the benefit that ,the ,mentor is bringing to young readers--to have word from our readers that the children in the school or in the home are enjoying ,the ,mentor4 ,one reader tells us that he is taking ,the ,mentor particularly for his children4 8,i want them to grow up with it10 he says4 ,that interests us deeply4 ,we want ,the ,mentor to be a real factor in the life of the home1 and a real part of the education of the young generation4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,a ,,young ,,woman--,d,,rer ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,the ,young ,artist ,,one ,albrecht ,drer was born on ,may #ba1 #adga1 at ,nuremberg1 ,germany4 ,his father was named ,albrecht ,drer also4 ,he was a goldsmith1 who at the age of forty married his master's daughter1 who was only fifteen years old4 ,in spite of the difference in their ages1 the marriage was a happy one1 and was blessed with eighteen children1 of whom ,albrecht was second4 ,as a boy he showed himself more worthy of an education than any of his many brothers1 and was apprenticed to a goldsmith4 ,but he wanted to become an artist1 and1 being his father's favorite son1 his wish was granted4 ,so at the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the principal painter of ,nuremberg1 ,michael ,wohlgemuth4 ,here1 as one of the artist's assistants1 he turned out little sketches of religious subjects1 and some woodcuts for book illustrations4 ,he had a hard time1 as his companion apprentices were a rough crowd1 and took great delight in making young ,drer suffer4 ,in #adij he finished his apprenticeship1 and began his 8years of travel40 ,these lasted until #adid4 ,he visited ,colmar1 ,basel1 ,strasburg1 and other ,german cities4 ,shortly after his return in ,july1 #adid1 he married ,agnes ,frey1 who was a good wife for him4 ,she was an excellent housekeeper and a shrewd business woman4 ,they had no children4 ,but ,drer had not been married more than a few months when he decided to make a journey to northern ,italy to complete his artistic education4 ,he was very poor1 and the great expense of such a trip made it necessary for him to leave his wife behind4 ,he did not stay away long4 ,sometime in #adie he returned to ,nuremberg1 where he lived without change for the next ten years4 ,like many another artist1 ,drer had his early struggles against poverty and indifference4 ,painting did not pay2 so he turned to wood and copper engraving1 and in this way made a fair living4 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,himself--,d,,rer ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,the ,middle ,years ,,two ,drer visited ,venice in the fall of #aeje1 and stayed there until the spring of #aejg4 ,the main reason for this journey was the commission to paint a picture for the ,germans living at ,venice4 ,his fame had spread greatly1 and as his countrymen wanted to dedicate a picture in the ,church of ,saint ,bartholomew they chose him to paint it4 ,the picture that ,drer did for them was the 8,adoration of the ,virgin10 better known as the 8,feast of the ,rose ,garlands40 ,emperor ,rudolf ,,ii later got hold of it4 ,it was carried to ,vienna upon men's shoulders1 as a thing of great value4 ,it is now1 greatly injured1 in the monastery of ,strahov at ,prague4 ,at ,venice1 ,drer was treated with great respect and admiration4 ,he held a high position there2 although most of the ,italian artists were jealous of him4 ,but in spite of his desire to remain in ,italy for the rest of his life1 he returned to ,nuremberg in #aejg4 ,all over ,europe1 ,drer was now recognized as a great painter4 ,all the living master artists of the age were his friends or acquaintances4 ,the great ,raphael felt honored to exchange drawings with him4 ,but his intimate life was not so happy4 ,it has been said that his wife plagued him to death with her meanness4 ,it is undoubtedly true that1 although ,agnes was a good housewife and manager1 she made the artist overwork himself for money4 ,for years her name was held up among the ,germans as an example of an unworthy wife4 ,in none of his letters does ,drer speak of her with tenderness or affection4 ,beyond this the artist's life was uneventful4 ,the years from #aejg to #aeaa he spent in painting4 ,the three following he devoted mostly to engraving on both wood and copper4 ,copper engraving especially took up much of his time4 ,at the same time he resumed etching4 ,he was also interested in mathematical and anatomical studies on the proportions and structure of the human frame4 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4 ,illustration3 ,,hieronymus ,,holzschuher--,d,,rer ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,last ,days ,,three ,the last period of ,drer's life began in #aebj4 ,emperor ,maximilian was his friend and patron2 but his death in #aeai stopped all the things that ,drer was doing for him4 ,so in ,july1 #aebj1 the artist1 with his wife and her maid1 set out for the ,netherlands to secure a continuance of the patronage and privileges granted during the lifetime of ,maximilian4 ,everywhere he was handsomely received4 ,throughout all his travels1 which lasted a year1 he was entertained by the best and most intellectual society of his time4 ,on ,july #ab1 #aeba1 ,drer reached home again4 ,his mind was now filled with schemes for religious pictures2 but he produced comparatively little4 ,one reason for this was the bad state of his health4 ,another was that he gave more and more of his time to mathematical study1 which he considered important4 ,his most famous picture of this time is the portrait of ,hieronymus ,holzschuher at ,berlin4 ,at ,nuremberg1 in #aebe1 was published his book on geometry1 and in #aebg appeared a work on fortification4 ,but his health was failing4 ,he had caught a fever in the ,low ,countries1 from which he never fully recovered4 ,on the night of ,april #f1 #aebh1 he died1 so suddenly that there was not even time to call his dearest friends to his side4 ,he was buried in a vault belonging to his wife's family1 in the cemetery of ,saint ,john1 at ,nuremberg4 ,luther1 the great reformer1 said of the famous artist in a letter1 8,as for ,drer1 assuredly affection bids us mourn for one who was the best of men2 yet you may well hold him happy that he has made so good an end1 and that ,christ has taken him from the midst of this time of trouble1 and from greater troubles in store1 lest he1 that deserved nothing but the best1 should be compelled to behold the worst4 ,therefore may he rest in peace with his fathers4 ,amen60 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4 ,illustration3 ,,erasmus--,,holbein ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,the ,young ,artist ,,four ,hans ,holbein came of an artistic family4 ,indeed1 he is usually known as ,holbein the ,younger2 for his father1 ,hans ,holbein the ,elder1 was a painter of great ability himself4 ,his uncle also1 his mother's father1 and most of his family were painters and decorators in the city of ,augsburg1 ,germany1 where ,holbein the ,younger was born sometime toward the end of the fifteenth century4 ,no one knows exactly the year in which ,holbein first opened his eyes4 ,in those times they did not keep such an accurate record of births and deaths as they do nowadays4 ,so1 unless a man was the son of a king or some other important person1 it did not matter much when he was born4 ,still1 we are probably right when we say that ,hans ,holbein was born in #adig4 ,those were the days of ,augsburg's prosperity4 ,all its magnificence is gone now2 but then it boasted of many merchant princes1 men of distinction1 and patrons of the fine arts4 ,it was a favorite city of ,emperor ,maximilian himself4 ,there was less travel at that time than now1 and consequently the citizens of each town were much more closely bound together4 ,civic pride ran high4 ,it was the period of the ,renaissance1 that great period of awakening to the appreciation of fine things in art and literature4 ,so of course ,augsburg had its ,guild of ,painters1 and ,holbein the ,elder was a member of it4 ,hans was the favorite son1 and both he and his brother ,ambrose were educated to be artists in their father's studio4 ,there they worked until #aeae1 when ,hans and ,ambrose journeyed to ,basel1 at that time a center of learning and art4 ,there ,holbein's chief occupation was the drawing of title pages for books4 ,erasmus1 the great scholar1 is said to have been his patron1 and helped him in many ways4 ,another powerful patron was ,jacob ,meier1 the first commoner who ever held the office of burgomaster of ,basel1 and under whose rule the reformation of the city laws was peaceably carried out4 ,he was the original of ,holbein's first portrait painted in ,basel1 and for him1 eight or nine years later1 was painted the famous ,meier ,madonna4 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,meier ,,madonna--,,holbein ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,the ,middle ,years ,,five ,in #aeag ,holbein left ,basel on a journey of two years4 ,no one knows exactly where he traveled4 ,it is said that he did not go to ,italy2 but others maintain that he must have spent some time there4 ,anyway1 in #aeai he returned to ,basel1 and in the same year his brother ,ambrose died4 ,the next year1 #aebj1 was an important one in the artist's life4 ,erasmus returned to ,basel1 and ,holbein became a citizen of the town1 and was admitted to the ,guild of ,painters4 ,also at this time he married4 ,his wife was a widow with two children4 ,she was some years older than the artist1 and seems to have been somewhat of a shrew4 ,it is said that it was her tongue that drove ,holbein to ,england in the summer of #aebf4 ,more probably it was the usual desire1--to make more money than he was earning at ,basel4 ,at that time art was having a hard time in ,germany4 ,the ,reformation--when ,luther and his followers broke away from the ,roman ,church--forced painters to do almost anything for a living4 ,stained glass designing1 furniture decoration1 and book illustration made up most of ,holbein's commissions4 ,it was at this time also that he drew his famous ,dance of ,death series4 ,these drawings are not dated2 but they must have been made sometime before #aebg1 for in that year the engraver1 ,hans ,ltzelberger1 who was doing that part of the work1 died1 leaving his work unfinished4 ,another wood engraver able to render the action and expression of the little faces could not be found4 ,so for ten years their publication was delayed4 ,the ,dance of ,death is a highly moral set of pictures1 depicting the work of the great ,reaper in all fields of life4 ,in the various pictures ,death is shown taking grim satisfaction in the consternation of his victims4 ,pope1 emperor1 preacher1 nun1 rich and poor1 young and old1 all are unready for his coming4 ,all vainly resist4 ,the artist must have worked hard and carefully over these engravings4 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,jane ,,seymour--,,holbein ,d,,rer ,,and ,,holbein ,last ,days ,,six ,holbein arrived in ,london toward the end of #aebf4 ,it is said that the ,english called him1 colloquially1 8,master ,haunce40 ,he went immediately to ,chelsea1 where ,sir ,thomas ,more lived4 ,erasmus had given him a letter of introduction to this famous statesman and author1 and the artist was made welcome1 and given many commissions for portraits4 ,holbein remained at ,chelsea throughout his first visit to ,england4 ,sir ,thomas ,more introduced him to many of the greatest men of the day4 ,at this time ,england was just beginning to feel the first influence of the ,renaissance4 ,london was still a dirty1 noisy town of the ,middle ,ages4 ,the houses were made of wood and mud1 and built with the earth as a flooring4 ,the streets were narrow and crowded1 with the houses and little shops set close together4 ,from the highest to the lowest1 ,london was far from being the center of fashion it was to become not many years later4 ,consequently1 when the dreaded plague broke out in #aebh1 ,london was just the kind of city in which it would spread most rapidly4 ,so ,holbein gave up his work in ,england and returned to ,basel4 ,there he finished the decorations for the town hall1 which had been begun in #aeba4 ,but he was not happy there4 ,all his friends were either dead or had left the city4 ,so about #aeca he returned to ,london4 ,this time he needed no introduction4 ,his reputation was established in ,england4 ,the merchants of the ,steelyard1 the great ,german trading company established on the banks of the ,thames1 gave him plenty of work to do1 and he did it well4 ,these portraits contain some of ,holbein's most careful work4 ,in #aecg he painted the great portrait of ,henry ,,vii with ,elizabeth of ,york1 and ,henry ,,viii with ,jane ,seymour1 for the privy chamber of the ,palace of ,westminster4 ,this picture was destroyed in the fire that burned the palace in #afih4 ,in #aedc the plague broke out again in ,england4 ,a will1 presumably made in ,october1 #aedc1 by ,holbein1 was found in ,london some years ago4 ,and not long after making this1 in ,november1 the great artist died1 probably of the plague4 ,his death was surrounded by mystery4 ,not even the place of his burial is known for certain4 ,it was either in the church of ,saint ,andrew ,undershaft or ,saint ,catharine ,cree4 ,his death1 in the prime of his active life1 was a great loss to the world2 but his work survives1 and will live forever4 ,,prepared ,,by ,,the ,,editorial ,,staff ,,of ,,the ,,mentor ,,association ,,illustration ,,for ,,the ,,mentor1 ,,vol4 #a1 ,no4 #dh1 ,,serial ,no4 #dh ,,copyright1 #aiad1 ,,by ,,the ,,mentor ,,association1 ,,inc4