[Transcriber's note: The printing errors of the original have beenretained in this etext.]
When the late Mr. Arthur Strong asked me to undertake the presentvolume, I pointed out to him that, to fulfil the advertised programme ofthe Series he was editing, was more than could be hoped from myattainments. He replied, that in the case of Dürer a book, fulfillingthat programme, was not called for, and that what he wished me toattempt, was an appreciation of this great artist in relation to generalideas. I had hoped to benefit very largely by my editor's advice andsupervision, but this his illness and death prevented. His great giftsand brilliant accomplishments, already darkened and distressed bydisease, were all too soon to be utterly quenched; and I can but hereexpress, not only my sense of personal loss in the hopes which hisfriendly welcome and generous intercourse had created and which havebeen so cruelly dashed by the event, but also that of the void which hisdisappearance has left in the too thin ranks of those who, filled withreverence and enthusiasm for the great traditions of the past, seemnevertheless eager and capable of grappling with the unwieldy present.Let and restricted had been the recognition of his maturing worth, andnow we must do without both him and the impetus of his so nearlyassured success.
The present volume, then, is not the result of new research; nor is itan abstract resuming historical and critical discoveries on its subjectup to date. Of this latter there are several already before the Britishpublic; the former, as I said, it was not for me to attempt. Nor do Ifeel my book to be altogether even what it was intended to be; but amconscious that too much space has been given to the enumeration ofDürer's principal works and the events of his life without either beingmade exhaustive. Still, I hope that even these parts may be foundprofitable by those who are not already familiar with the subjects withwhich they deal. To those for whom these subjects are well known, Ishould like to point out that Parts I. and IV. and very much of PartIII. embody my chief intention; that chapter 1 of Part I. finds afurther illustration in division iii. of chapter 4, Part II.; and thatdivision vi., chapter 1, Part II., should be taken as prefatory tochapter 1, Part IV.
Should exception be taken to the works chosen as illustrations, I wouldexplain that the means of reproduction, the degree of reductionnecessitated by the size of the page, and other outside considerations,have severely limited my choice. It is entirely owing to the extremekindness of the Dürer Society--more especially of its courteous andenthusiastic secretaries, Mr. Campbell Dodgson and Mr. Peartree--thatfour copper-plates have so greatly enhanced the adequacy of the volumein this respect.
I have gratefully to acknowledge Sir Martin Conway's kindness inpermitting me to quote so liberally from his "Literary Remains ofAlbrecht Dürer," by far the best book on this great artist known to me.Mr. Charles Eaton's translation of Thausing's "Life of Dürer," the"Portfolios of the Dürer Society," and Dr. Lippmanb "Drawings ofAlbrecht Dürer," are the only other works on my subject to which I feelbound to acknowledge my indebtedness. Lastly, I must express deepgratitude to my learned friend, Mr. Campbell Dodgson, for having sogenerously consented, by reading the proofs, to mitigate my defect inscholarship.
PREFACE
CONCERNING GENERAL IDEAS IMPORTAN