e resulting compositions.
This series of rich and skilful engravings marked a new era in the
history of wood-engraving, and the entrance of a noble artistic spirit
into a realm which had previously been occupied by rude monkish cuts
of saints and miracles. Jackson calls these representations of the
Apocalypse "much superior to all wood-engravings that had previously
appeared, both in design and execution." The series was brought out
simultaneously in German and Latin editions, and was published by the
author himself. It met with a great success, and was soon duplicated
in new pirated editions.

It has of late years become a contested point as to whether Duerer
really engraved his woodcuts with his own hands, or whether he only
drew the designs on the wood, and left their mechanical execution to
practical workmen. It is only within the present century that a theory
to the latter effect has been advanced and supported by powerful
arguments and first-class authorities. The German scholars Bartsch and
Von Eye, and the historians of engraving Jackson and Chatto, concur in
denying Duerer's use of the graver. But there is a strong and
well-supported belief that many of the engravings attributed to him
were actually done by his hand, and that during the earlier part of
his career he was largely engaged in this way. The exquisite
wood-carvings which are undoubtedly his work show that he was not
devoid of the manual dexterity needful for these plates; and it is
also certain that the mediaeval artists did not hold themselves above
mechanical labors, since even Raphael and Titian were among the
_peintres-graveurs_. Duerer's efforts greatly elevated the art of
wood-engraving in Germany, and this improvement was directly conducive
to its growth in popularity. A large number of skilful engravers were
developed by the new demand; and in his later years Duerer doubtless
found enough expert assistants, and was enabled to devote his time to
more noble achievements. He used the art to multiply and disseminate
his rich ideas, which thus found a more ready expression than
that of painting. Heller attributes one hundred and seventy-four
wood-engravings to him; and many more, of varying claims to
authenticity, are enumerated by other writers. Twenty-six were made
before 1506. The finest and the only perfect collection of Duerer's
woodcuts is owned by Herr Cornill d'Orville of Frankfort-on-the-Main.

In 1500 Duerer painted the noble portrait