NIELSON
86
NIETO
brought to high perfection at Florence, and was prac- ticed by Bcnvenuto Cellini. The finest works of this kind belong probably to the first half of the 15th cen- turv, when remarkable excellence in drawing and group- ing minute figures in these metal pictures was attained by Maso di Finiguerra, an eminent painter, and student of Ghiberti and Massacio. In the hands of this artist it gave rise to copper-plate engraving, and hence much interest attaches to the art of niello-catting. Genuine specimens of this art are rare, some of those by Fini- guerra are very beautiful and effective, the black pig- ment in the lines giving a pleasing effect to the surface of the metal, which is usually silver. Those of his works best known are some elaborately beautiful pat- tines wrought by him for the church of San Giovanni at Florence, one of which is in the Uthzia, and some are in various private collections. In the collection of Or- namental Art at South Kensington there are no less than seventeen specimens of niello - work. See Wal- cott. Sacred Archaeology, s. v.; Elmes, Diet, of the Fine A rts, s. V.
Nielson, Hauge. See Hauge,
Niem. See Dietrich of Niem.
Niemeyer, August Hermann, D.D., an eminent German theologian and educator, was born at Halle Sept. 1, 1754. He began the stud}' of theology in 1771 ; became private tutor in the philosophical faculty of his alma mater, the university of his native place, in 1777; then successively professor extraordinary and inspector of the seminarists of the theological faculty in 1779; ordinary professor and inspector in 1784; and finally chancellor and rector perpetuus of the univer- sity in 1808. He resigned the last-named office at the reorganization of the university, at the close of the war of liberation, but remained its chancellor until his death, June 7, 1828. He rendered eminent services to the university during the wars, and was one of those who contributed most to its reorganization. As a theo- logian, at a time when scientific theologj- did not yet exist, he may be considered as belonging to the ration- alists, but his was a mild and sincere rationalism. Saj's Hagenbach, " He combined a mild type of piety with noble humanity" (CA. Ilist. 18th and'lWi Cent, ii, 108). As a writer he was very prolific, having composed and published a large number of theological and educational works; but they are now laid aside on account of their want of system, and are merely mentioned in treatises on the history of modern theology. The most impor- tant of his works is Theologische Encyclopddie u. Me- thodolofjie, ein sicherer Wegiceiserf. awjehende Theologen, etc. (Leips. 1830, 8vo). Among the others we notice Churukteristik der Bihel (Halle, 1775-1782, 5 vols. 8vo; 6th ed. 1830), an excellent work in its day, and one that won for Niemeyer when yet a j'oung man a wide circle of readers, and called forth the most enthusiastic plau- dits, but which has been much surpassed since : — Iland- huch f. christl. Religiotislehrer (Halle, 1790, 2 vols. 8vo; 6th cd. 1827) : — Grundsdtze d. Erziehung u. d. Unter- richts (Halle, 1796, 3 vols. 8vo; 9th ed. 1834-6):— and especially his Geistlicke Lieder, Oratorien u, vermischte Gcilichte' (llaWe, 1814, 8vo), which, though not of the highest flight, are distinguished for their simple hearti- ness. See llerzog, Real-Encyklopadie, x, 327; Darling, Cyclop, /iibliogrciphica, ii, 2202 ; Pierer, Universal- Lex- ikrni, xl, 942 ; Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Gencnde, xxxviii, 51 ; and especially Jacobs u. Gruber, Zur Erinnerimg an Nie- meyer s Lehen und Wirken (Halle, 1830) ; Kein, Ei-inner- ungen (1841); Fritzsch, Ceber dcs verewigten A.H.Nie- meycr's Lcben (1828). (J. H.W.)
Niereinberg(ius), John Eusebius of, a learned Spanish Jesuit, was horn at Madrid about 1590. He stud- ied law at the University of Salamanca, but afterwards became a Jesuit. He was then sent by the order on a mission to some part of Castile, and on his return to Madrid became professor in the college. In 1642 he gave up teaching in consequence of ill-health, and died
April 7, 1658. He wrote Ohj-as y dias, manual de seflo- res y principes (Madrid, 1628, 1641, 4to) : — Sigulion, sive de sapientia mythica, lib. viii (ibid. 1629, 8vo) : — Vida de S. Ignncio (ibid. 1631, 8vo), often reprinted: — De ado- rationt in spiritu et veritate, lib. iv (Antwerp, 1631) : — De arte voluntatis, lib. vi (Lyons, 1631, 8vo; transl. into French by L. Yidel [I'aris, 1657, 4to]) : — Vida divina y cumino real para la perfecdon (Madrid, 1633 ; transL into Latin b\- Martin Sibenius) : — Practica del catecismo Romano y doctrina Christiana (ibid. 1640 ; transl. into Italian) : — Theopoliticus, sive hrevis elucidatio ct ra- j tionale divinorum operum atque providentim humanm (Antwerp, 1641, 8vo) : — Prodigio del amor divino yjineza I de Dios con los hombres (INIadrid, 1641, 4to) : — Utromata j Sacrce Scrip)turce (Lyons, 1642, fol.) : — Corona virtuoso y virtttd coronata, sive de virtiitihus inprincipe requisitis (Madrid, 1643, 4to) : — De la devocion y pairocinio de S, Miguel, 2^^'otector de Espana (ibid. 1643, 4to): — Doc- trinie asceticce (Lyons, 1643, fol.) : — Causa y remedio de los males publicos (Madrid, 1642, 8vo) : — La curiosa filo- Sofia y tesoro de maravillas de la naturaleza (ibid. 1643, 4to) : — Claros varones de la comjninia de .Jesus (ibid. 1643, 4 vols, fol.; Alonso de Audrada added 2 vols, to it in 1666) : — Gloi-ia de S. Ignacio y de S. Francisco Xavier (ibid. 1645, fol.) : — Tratado de la constancia en la virtud (ibid. 1647, 4to) :—Epistol(e (ibid. 1649) :—Imita- cion de Christo de Thomas de Kempis (Antwerp, 1650, 8vo): — Vida del B. Francisco de Borja, an introduc- tion to the works of that writer which he published (Madrid, 1651, 3 vols, fol.) : — De immaculata conc.eptione Virginis Marios (Valence, 1653, 4to) : — Diferencia de la temporal y eterno (Madrid, 1654, 24mo ; transl. into Arabic by P. Fromage): — Trophoia Mariana, lib. vi (Antwerp, 1655, fol.) : — Cielo estellado de Maria (Ma- drid, 1655, fol.) : — Exceptiones concilii Tridentini pro om- j nimoda puritate Deipiai-ce expensi (Antwerp, 1656, 8vo), I etc. See Sotwell, Bibl. Script, soc. Jesu ; Antonio, [ Xova Bibl. Hispana, i, 685; Moreri, Grand Diet. Hist.; Franckenau, Bibl. Hispana, p. 319 ; Cuvier. Hist, des Sci- ences Naturelles, vol. ii ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxxviii, 59 sq. (J. N. P.)