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The Dance of Death.

Hegner next endeavours to annihilate the painting atWhitehall recorded in Nieuhoff's etchings and dedications,but still by arguments of-an entirely negative kind. Helays much stress on this painting not being specificallymentioned by Sandrart or Van Mander, who were inEngland ; but where does it appear that the latter, duringhis short stay in this country, had visited Whitehall ? Evenadmitting that both these persons had seen that palace, itis most probable that the fresco painting of the Dance ofDeath, would, from length of time, dampness of the walls,and neglect, have been in a condition that would not warrantthe exhibition of it, and it was, moreover, placed in agallery which scarcely formed, at that time, a part ofWhitehall, and which was, probably, not shown to visitors.It must not, however, be omitted to mention that Sandrart,in p. 239 of his Acad. Pict. states, though ambiguously,that " there was still remaining at Whitehall a work byHolbein that would constitute him the Apelles of his time,"an expression which we may remember had been alsoapplied to Holbein by his friend Borbonius in the com-plimentary lines on a Dance of Death.

Herr Hegner has thought fit to speak of Mr. T.Nieuhoff in terms of indecorous and unjust contempt,describing him as " an unknown and unimportant Dutchcopper-plate engraver," and arraigning his evidence asbeing in manuscript only; as if manuscripts that havenever been printed were of no authority. But where hasHegner discovered that Nieuhoff was a Dutch copper-plate engraver, by which is meant a professed artist ; oreven though he had been such, would that circumstancevitiate his testimony 1 In his dedication to Lord WilliamBenting the expressions allusive to his ardent love of thearts, seem to constitute him an amateur attempter of etching;for what he has left us in that way is indeed of a verysubordinate character, and unworthy of a professed artist.He appears to have been one of the Dutchmen who accom-panied King William to England, and to have had apartmentsassigned to him at Whitehall. At the end of his dedicationto Lord W. Benting, he calls himself an old servant of thatperson's father, and subscribes himself "your and yourillustrious family's most obedient and humble servant."