A treatise on wood engravings : historical and practical . said that it wasdone to indicate that the scene which was to follow required to beconcealed. At page 194 we perceive a full-fed old churl hanging hiscat; at page 226, a hen attacking a dog ; and at page 281, two cocksfighting,—all three excellent of their kind. K K 2 500 REVIVAL OF WOOD ENGRAVING. Bewicks humour occasionally verges on positive grossness, and aglaring instance of his want of delicacy presents itself in the tail-piece at page 285. After the work was printed off Bewick becameaware that the nakedness of a prominent part of
A treatise on wood engravings : historical and practical . said that it wasdone to indicate that the scene which was to follow required to beconcealed. At page 194 we perceive a full-fed old churl hanging hiscat; at page 226, a hen attacking a dog ; and at page 281, two cocksfighting,—all three excellent of their kind. K K 2 500 REVIVAL OF WOOD ENGRAVING. Bewicks humour occasionally verges on positive grossness, and aglaring instance of his want of delicacy presents itself in the tail-piece at page 285. After the work was printed off Bewick becameaware that the nakedness of a prominent part of his subject required tobe covered, and one of his apprentices was employed to blacken it overwith i\\k. In the next edition a plug was inserted in the block, and therepresentation of two bars of wood engraved upon it to hide the offensivepart. The cut, however, even thus amended, is still extremely indelicate.* The following is a copy of tlie head-piece at the commencement ofthe advertisement to the second volume. It represents an old man t»J<;Hi. saying grace with closed eyes, while his cat avails herself of tlieopportunity of making free with his porridge. The Pieverend HenryCotes, vicar of Bedlington, happening to call on Bewick when he wasfinishing this cut, expressed his disapprobation of the subject, as havinga tendency to ridicule the practice of an act of devotion ; but Bewickdenied that he had any such intention, and would not consent to omitthe cut. He drew a distinction between the act and the performer ; andthough he might approve of saying grace before meat, he could not helplaughing at one of the over-righteous, who, while craving a blessing withhypocritical grimace, and with eyes closed to outward things, loses apresent good. The head-piece to the contents presents an excellentsketch of an old man going to market on a windy and rainy day. Theold horse on whicli he is mounted has become restive, and the rider hasboth broken his stick and lost his hat. The h
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License: Licensed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectwoodengraving, bookye
