or Bolsuerd, (Boetius Adam à), an engraver and printseller established at Antwerp, was the descendant of a family who resided at the city of Bolfwert in Frieseland, from whence he derived his name. He flourished about 1620; but by what matter he was instructed in the art of engraving, does not appear. He worked with the graver only; the free open style of the Bloemarts he imitated with great success; and perhaps perfected himself in their school. When he worked from Rubens, he altered that style; and his plates are neater, fuller of colour, and more highly finished. The two following from this master may be here mentioned. 1. The Resurrection of Lazarus, a large upright plate. 2. The Last Supper, its companion. Batan, speaking of this print, says, that it proves by its beauty, and the knowledge with which it is engraved, that Boetius could sometimes equal his brother Schelteus.
BOLSWERT or Bolsuerd, (Schelteus à), an admirable engraver, was the brother of Boetius Adam à Bolfwert, mentioned in the preceding article. We have no other account of his family than what is there given; nor unfortunately any of himself of the least consequence. The time of his birth and of his death, and the name of the matter he studied under, are equally unknown. Bolfwert worked entirely with the graver, and never called in the assistance of the point. His general character as an artist is well drawn by Batan, in the following words: "We have a large number of prints, which are held in great esteem, by this artist, from various masters; but especially from Rubens, whose pictures he has copied with all possible knowledge, taste, and great effect. The freedom with which this excellent artist handled the graver, the picturesque roughnesses of etching, which he could imitate without any other assiting instrument, and the ability he pos- feoffed of distinguishing the different masses of colours, have always been admired by the connoisseurs, and give him a place in the number of those celebrated engravers, whose prints ought to be considered as models by all historical engravers, who are desirous of rendering their works as useful as they are agreeable, and of acquiring a reputation as lasting as it is justly merited." He drew excellently, and without any manner of his own; for his prints are the exact transcripts of the pictures he engraved from. His best works, though not always equally neat or finished, are always beautiful, and manifest the hand of the master. Sometimes we find his engravings are in a bold, free, open style: as the Brazen Serpent, the Marriage of the Virgin, &c., from Rubens. At other times they are very neat, and sweetly finished: as, the Crowning with Thorns, and the Crucifixion, &c., from Vandyck. Mr Strutt observes, that his boldest engravings are from Rubens, and his neatest from Vandyck and Jordans.—How greatly Bollwert varied his manner of engraving appears from some prints, which, like the greater part of those of his brother Boetius, bear great resemblance to the free engravings of the Bloemarts, and to those of Frederic Bloemart especially; and form a part of the plates for a large folio volume, entitled, Académie de L'Estampe, by Girard Thibault of Antwerp, where it was published, A.D. 1628; and to these he signs his name, "Schelte," and sometimes "Scheldric Bollwert," adding the word Bruxelles. His name is usually affixed to his plates in this manner, "S.A. Bollwert." It is very necessary to caution the collectors of this master's works (those especially who are not very conversant with them), that many of them have been copied in a very careful manner, so as easily to deceive the unskilled. Some of these copies, as the Marriage of the Virgin from Rubens, &c., are by Lauwers. But those which are most likely to mislead, are by Ragot, a French engraver, employed by Mariette the printseller, who frequently meeting with the reverses or counterproofs from the prints of Bollwert, gave them to the engraver; and he imitated them with the utmost precision. By this means the impressions from the plate copied come upon the paper the same way with the original. It is true, his name is usually affixed at the bottom; but it is often cut off, and then the copy is not easily distinguished from the original. Among other prints thus imitated by Ragot from Bollwert, is Christ crucified between the two Thieves, where the soldier is represented piercing his side, from Rubens.
Among the variety of estimable engravings by this great artist, the few following may be here mentioned:
1. The Brazen Serpent, a large plate, lengthwise, from Rubens. Those impressions are the most estimable which have only the word Antwerpia at the right-hand corner, without the name of Giles Hendrix, which was afterwards inserted above it, and part of the small circle over the arms is left white.
2. Abraham offering his son Isaac, a large plate nearly square, from Theodore Rombout.
3. The education of the Virgin by Saint Anne, a middling-sized upright plate, from Rubens. Those impressions without the name of Hendrix are the most esteemed.
4. The marriage of Bolswert, the Virgin, a middling-sized upright plate, from the same painter. Those impressions are best in which the word Antwerpia is not added to the name of Hendrix.
5. The adoration of the wise men, a middling-sized upright plate, from the same. The good impressions of this plate have the name of Vanden Enden.
6. The feast of Herod, in which is represented the daughter of Herodias, presenting the head of John the Baptist to her mother, a large plate, lengthwise, from the same.
7. The miraculous draught of fishes; a large print, lengthwise, on three plates, from the same.
8. Christ crowned with thorns; a large upright plate from Vandyck. An admirable print; with the name of Vanden Enden.
9. A crucifixion, where a figure appears presenting the sponge to Christ, St John and the Virgin are standing at the foot of the cross, and Mary Magdalene is reclining towards it: A large upright plate, from Vandyck. Of this admirable engraving there appear to have been four different impressions; though Bafan mentions only three, and says that in the first the left hand of St John is hid. The chief marks of those impressions are: In the 1st, St John's left hand appears on the shoulder of the Virgin (a). In the 2nd impression, the hand is erased: This Bafan calls the first impression; and it sells at a very high price. In the 3rd impression, the hand is restored: In the 4th, it is again erased: And in both, the short strokes upon the ground near the great toe of the figure who holds the sponge are crossed with second strokes; which cross-hatchings are not in the two first impressions. There are several other crucifixions by the same master after different designs.
10. The god Pan playing upon his flute, from Jordaeus.
11. Mercury and Argus, a large plate, lengthwise, from the same.
12. A drunken Silenus, supported by a satyr, and another figure; a middling-sized upright plate from Rubens. Of these three last, the impressions without the address of Blotclong are the best.
13. A chase of lions; a large plate, lengthwise, from the same.
14. A variety of landscapes.