I speak of the works of Peter Vischer “and his house,” because, in tracing this development, we have to take into consideration not only his works but also those of his father Hermann and of his sons, Hermann and Peter and Hans. The pendulum6 of criticism has indeed swung more than once since the Emperor Maximilian used to visit Peter Vischer’s foundry in Nuremberg, and the questions as to what are actually the works of the Master and what position is to be assigned to him in the world of art, have been answered in more ways than one. For many years, owing partly to the ignorance of most people, and partly vino doubt to the greed of the few, the tendency was to attribute to this one famous craftsman the works of many. At one time almost any work of art in bronze to be found throughout the length and breadth of Germany was attributed to Peter Vischer, just as a Talleyrand or a Sydney Smith has had witticisms7 of every date and every quality fathered upon him.
From unreasoning praise, again, men passed to equally undiscriminating disparagement8. Heideloff arose and wished the world to see in Peter Vischer nothing but the mere9 craftsman who put into bronze the designs and models of Adam Krafft or another. The admirable labours of Retberg, however, and of Dr. Lübke have shown how little foundation there is for this view, and, more recently, by the application of the principles of more exact art-criticism, Dr. Seeger, in his minute and loving study of Peter Vischer the younger, has vindicated10 the claim of the great craftsman’s son to rank with, or even above, his father as the first and greatest exponent11 of Renaissance12 plastic-work in Germany.
To the two latter authors I have been continually and especially indebted whilst writing the present monograph13. For the use of very many of the illustrations forming the volume to which Dr. Lübke contributed the text, my best thanks and acknowledgements are due to the publisher, Herr Stein, of Nuremberg.
C. H.
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1
craftsman
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n.技工,精于一门工艺的匠人 | |
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2
peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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3
illustrate
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v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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4
craftsmen
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n. 技工 | |
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5
sculptors
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雕刻家,雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 ); [天]玉夫座 | |
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6
pendulum
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n.摆,钟摆 | |
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7
witticisms
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n.妙语,俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 ) | |
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8
disparagement
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n.轻视,轻蔑 | |
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9
mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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10
vindicated
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v.澄清(某人/某事物)受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 );表明或证明(所争辩的事物)属实、正当、有效等;维护 | |
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11
exponent
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n.倡导者,拥护者;代表人物;指数,幂 | |
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12
renaissance
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n.复活,复兴,文艺复兴 | |
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13
monograph
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n.专题文章,专题著作 | |
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