Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process in which the artist creates an image by cutting lines into a metal plate using a burin. The printmaker then inks the plate and wipes off the excess, leaving ink in the carved lines. Finally, the inked plate is placed on a sheet of dampened paper and moved through a press, producing a reverse image on the finished print.
Although early printmakers generally preferred woodcut because it was cheaper to print and had longer print runs, engraving began to rise in popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. Engraving allowed for more detail and a larger range of tones, and it was easier to fix mistakes on copper plates than wooden ones.
In the Middlebury Museum print The Pig Killers or Peasants Slaughtering a Pig by Adriaen van Ostade, the engraving process allows the artist to show intricate details and texture, such as the leaves on the tree in the background and the wood panels towards the foreground. His use of hatching in particular creates a dramatic contrast between the dark background and illuminated figures.
Written by Winnie Wang, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes
Bibliography
Griffiths, Antony. The Print before Photography. London: British Museum Press, 2016.
“Engraving.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/curatorial-departments/drawings-and-prints/materials-and-techniques/printmaking/engraving.
Worthen, Amy Namowitz. “Engraving.” Grove Art Online. 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000026291.
