mon blowing in his
ear. "The Love Offer" is made by an ugly old man to a pretty maiden,
whose waist is encircled by his arm, while her hand is greedily
outstretched to receive the money which he offers. Another early
engraving on copper shows a wild and naked man holding an unspeakably
ugly woman, who is endeavoring to tear herself from his arms. Still
others delineate Justice sitting on a lion, "The Little Fortune"
standing naked on a globe, and the monstrous hog of Franconia.

It was chiefly through his engravings that Duerer became and remains
known to the world; and by the same mode of expression he boldly
showed forth the doubts and despairs, yearnings and conflicts, not
only of his own pure and sorrowful soul, but also of Europe, quivering
in the throes of the Reformation.

The artists of Italy, when the age of faith was ended, turned to the
empty splendors and symmetries of paganism; but their German brothers
faced the new problems more sternly, and strove for the life of the
future. Under Duerer's hard and homely German scenes, there seem to be
double meanings and unfathomable fancies, usually alluding to sorrow,
sin, and death, and showing forth the vanity of all things earthly. In
sharp contrast with these profound allegories are the humorous
grotesqueness and luxuriant fancifulness which appear in others of the
artist's engravings, fantastic, uncouth, and quaint. He frequently
yielded to the temptation to introduce strange animals and unearthly
monsters into his pictures, even those of the most sacred subjects;
and his so-called "Virgin with the Animals" is surrounded by scores of
birds, insects, and quadrupeds of various kinds.

It is interesting to hear of the rarity of the early impressions of
Duerer's engravings, and the avidity with which they are sought and the
keenness with which they are analyzed by collectors. In many cases the
copies of these engravings are as good as the originals, and can be
distinguished only by the most trifling peculiarities. The water-marks
of the paper on which they are printed form a certain indication of
their period. Before his Venetian journey Duerer used paper bearing the
water-mark of the bull's head; and, after his return from the
Netherlands, paper bearing a little pitcher; while the middle period
had several peculiar symbols. A fine impression of the copper-plate
engraving of "St. Jerome" recently brought over $500; and the Passion
in Copper sold in 1864 for $300.