remarks—Various modes of engraving—Styles in bookplates.

OF course some people have exaggerated the importance of bookplates, and on the other hand some have affected to ignore them. Now the simple fact is that bookplates belong to books, and anything that has to do with books will assuredly charm cultivated minds until time shall be no more. If this essential point were oftener remembered, the exaggerations of both sides would be avoided.

In Germany, a country where bookplates very early found a home, the word bibliothekzeichen, or library label, is used. Germans also use the name ex libris, and in France the Latin expression ex libris is the only term in use. Naturally the owner’s name in the genitive case is always understood. In France manuscript inscriptions of ownership are very fittingly included as ex libris.

It is too late to change now; but, at all events, whether included or not under any special word, manuscript inscriptions in books by their owners will always be a very interesting study.

What, as explained above, are in France included under ex libris, were known long before the days of printing, as personal inscriptions with or without the delineation of armorial bearings are often to be found forming part of the text of books in manuscript. In fact the various relationships of wealthy patron, learned scribe, and skilled illuminator, gave much scope for these.

To come to what may be said to be known everywhere as ex libris, is to treat of those wonderful days when the earliest printed books were still a novelty. Directly several people or institutions each had copies of a certain printed book, each copy being a duplicate of the other, a wish arose to distinguish ownership.

Before treating further of bookplates, it will be well to clearly point out the different kinds of blocks or plates. The woodcut block, known in some manner to the Chinese 400 years before, was first cut in Europe early in the fifteenth century. The St. Christopher engraved in Germany in 1423, is probably the earliest. The piece of wood to be engraved was cut longwise with the grain, as a plank is cut to-day. A thin piece of some soft wood, such as pear, apple, or lime, was chosen, the design drawn upon it, and then with a knife the engraver cut away to a certain depth everything except the drawn design.

In modern times—about 1785—a revolution took place in wood engraving, when Bewick began to engrave on a piece of wood cut endwise, and with a graver instead of a knife. Bewick chose some very hard wood, usually box. This manner has been continued to this day; and sometimes to distinguish the old art from the new, as the one is so different from the other, the former is called a woodcut and the latter wood-engraving.

Next as to etchings. To produce an etching a copper plate is covered with wax, then with an etching-needle the design is drawn through the wax to the copper. Acid is then applied, which, of course, only eats out the copper where the design has been etched.

Now as to copper-plate line engravings. The engraver first traces on the plate the outline of his design, and then with the triangular-pointed graver he furrows out the lines, inclining his graver deeper or shallower according as he wishes to produce varying effects. Copper-plate engraving has been practised ever since early in the fifteenth century. About 1820 engraving on steel came into vogue. More impressions can be taken from a steel than from a copper plate; but steel is more difficult to engrave upon. By a new process, however, a copper plate can now be strengthened with a steel film.

Mezzotint engraving is an art by itself, and of great interest to English readers, because of the many charming mezzotint engravings after England’s great portrait-painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds; and also by reason of Prince Rupert, the brave cavalier’s, close connection with the art. He has often been said to have invented mezzotint; but the first credit for this is now given to another gallant soldier, Ludwig von Siegen, who engraved a plate in 1642, and kept his discovery a profound secret until, in 1654, he found himself in Brussels with Prince Rupert. The two kindred spirits meeting, the secret was soon unfolded. Rupert became as eager in another field as if he were leading a cavalry charge, and in four years’ time appeared his splendid mezzotint engraving, The Executioner of John the Baptist. As the object of this book is not to give a serious treatise on elaborate methods of engraving, it will best express mezzotint to state that it is in general terms produced by the opposite process from a line engraving, A very smooth copper-plate surface is, as it were, engraved all over. Then the design is wrought on this by a scraping process.

A kind of stipple or dotted engraving was known early in the sixteenth century; but what is really famous as stipple and dotted engraving, only came into vogue in the eighteenth century. The copper plate was first covered with wax, and a dotted outline of the subject pricked through the wax with an etching-needle. Then the shadows were filled in, and finally acid used, as with an etching, Francesco Bartolozzi’s is probably the name best known in this connection, though in masterly ability, William Ryland, who was hanged for forgery, far surpassed him.

In aquatint engraving, the plate to be engraved is covered with a solution made of resin and spirits of wine; this process produces a surface more or less open to the action of acids when applied. In the hands of a skilful manipulator, a fine engraving results from this “more or less” condition.

Here, in beginning to record the succeeding styles of ex libris, let us refer to the varieties which have prevailed at different times amongst Deutschland bookplates. In the first place careful note must be made regarding six coloured drawings of the fourteenth century which Herr Warnecke includes as bookplates, in his splendid work—Die Deutschen BÜcherzeichen. Now if once it be admitted that something inscribed in a book as in fact a necessary integral part of that book, is a bookplate, then it becomes impracticable to draw a distinguishing line.

Next, if like the old preachers, we divided the description into three headings, firstly, secondly, and thirdly, we should on this subject record: firstly, German ex libris are armorial; secondly, they are armorial; thirdly, they are armorial. Especially in the earlier plates, the crest is always in its proper place over a helmet, and the helmet over the shield of arms. It would be well if with just an artistic frame to enclose the whole the bookplate stopped there; but alas, there is only too often besides a multitude of fantastic accessories, which give a confusing instead of a pleasing impression. Coming down towards the seventeenth century, you are sometimes favoured (?) with a fantastic maze of the quarterings and emblems of the owner’s relatives to the fortieth generation.

Predominant in the seventeenth century is what is known as the Baroque style, with designs of endless curves and contortions, drawn in a very heavy manner.

Some of the plates which are most pleasing, are those where the arms are surrounded by light wreaths of leaves and flowers.

Reaching the eighteenth century, the Rococo or Shell style, begun in France, becomes common in German bookplates. Late in the century there are, too, some curious and pleasing allegorical plates.

Of early nineteenth-century German ex libris, perhaps the less said the better; but a few are good and all help in making history, so that it is interesting to know that the famous author and collector, Karl Emich Count zu Leiningen-Westerburg, had between seven hundred and eight hundred specimens.

Since then, with the union of Germany, has come, as all the world knows, an artistic and literary development in ex libris, as well as in other branches of art. All this, and a million other points about German bookplates, are admirably told in the late Karl Emich Count zu Leiningen-Westerburg’s book, translated into English for the ex libris series.

In the styles of French bookplates, the more or less simple armorial is most often met in the earlier examples, although one of the best known—that of Charles Ailleboust, Bishop of Autun, had nothing armorial about it.

Heraldry, of course, took an early and masterful hold of the French aristocracy, although even in France, in quite early years, it was found necessary to fix fearful fines and penalties for people assuming insignia to which they had no lawful claim.

Up to about 1650, the almost rectangular shield prevailed in French bookplates; but soon after this, oval shields predominate, and not seldom capped by coronets to which the owners had no title. There is often at the base of the shield a solid plinth, usually bearing the chief inscription.

Then in the latter half of the eighteenth century comes the Rococo or Shell style of bookplate. At the same time, too, there are of course Field-Marshals’ ex libris, defended by guns, and Lord High Admirals’ bookplates reclining amongst anchors.

In 1790 the French Assembly passed a decree annulling the titles of duke, count, marquis, viscount, baron, and chevalier; also doing away with all armorial bearings.

In regard to the styles of English bookplates we cannot do better than, for the most part, to refer to the learning of Mr. W. J. Hardy—a man steeped to the finger-tips in ancient lore.

Up to about 1720, “Simple Armorial” is the best brief record. The shield is surmounted by a helmet, on which are the wreath and crest. From the helmet is outspread mantling, more or less voluminous. In earlier examples this terminates generally in tassels, before reaching the base of the shield. In later examples its heavy folds descend quite to the base, and often ascend from the helmet to the level of the top of the crest. Below is a scroll for the motto, and below that, the owner’s name. Next we come to what is known as the Jacobean style, but to which the much more fitting name of “Queen Anne and early Georgian” should be given. The style includes mainly an ornamental frame, suggestive of carved work, resting as often as not upon some kind of conventional support; the ornamentation of both frame and support being of the interior architectural order, making frequent use of fish scales and trellis or diaper patterns for the decoration of plain surface.

Next we find the Rococo style introduced from across the Channel, and this before long time, merging into the well-known Chippendale style, so closely associated with English bookplates. After this, in English bookplates comes the festoon, or wreath-and-ribbon style, in which certainly many charming ex libris were engraved. As Mr. Egerton Castle points out, one of the surest ways of knowing this later Georgian style is by the spade shape of the shields, and altogether a manner which calls up memories of designers and architects such as Sir W. Chambers, Adams, Wedgwood, or Sheraton.