Sheet of Etchings
1601
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1601
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Sheet of Etchings is a 1601 ink by French 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sheet holds three small etchings on one piece of paper. Each image shows a different scene. The lines look crisp and dark, like someone dragged a needle across metal. Etching was a common print method then. Artists coated metal plates with wax, scratched designs into the wax, then dipped the plates in acid. The acid ate away the exposed metal, leaving grooves to hold ink. If you like this, try etching at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
