Francis Barlow: First Master of English Book Illustration
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Authors
Hodnett, Edward
Issue Date
1978
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Type
Book, Whole
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Abstract
After a chapter on Barlow's career, Hodnett surveys book illustration in England before 1700 and then examines in two chapters three important artists: Gheeraerts, Cleyn, and Ogilby. Two chapters are then dedicated to minor works of Barlow and Theophila. By Chapter VII, Hodnett is ready to look carefully at Hollar and then, in Chapter VIII, at Barlow's Aesop's Fables. A final chapter investigates more carefully Barlow's designs for Ogilby's Aesopics and Androcleus and Barlow's Life of Aesop series. Good stuff! Hodnett starts off by noting that the four etchers need to be considered together -- Gheeraerts, Cleyn, Hollar, and Barlow -- and they need to be viewed as interpreters of the literary scene they are illustrating. This book is mainly concerned with his [Barlow's] work as an interpretive illustrator (11). The final sentence in the chapter on illustration before 1700 is telling: Of the artists resident in England between the introduction of printing in 1476 and 1700 not one can be said to be a significant book illustrator except Gheeraerts, Cleyn, Hollar, and Barlow (55). The climax of reading this book, for me at least, has been walking through Chapter VIII on Aesop's fables. The book is gloriously illustrated. Hodnett is a first-rate art historian and a very good critic. He makes sense of each of the four great etchers. I am now so proud to have a 1666 Barlow in the collection!
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Publisher
University of California Press
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Identifier
8219 (Access ID)