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Definition: etching from Philip's Encyclopedia

Method of incised printing used for black-and-white designs. A metal plate, usually copper, is coated with an acid-proof ground. A design is etched with a needle through the ground. The plate is placed in an acid that eats away the exposed line so it will hold ink. When the plate is finished, it is rolled with ink and placed in a press to be printed.


etching

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
the art of engraving with acid on metal; also the print taken from the metal plate so engraved. In hard-ground etching the plate, usually of copper or zinc, is given a thin coating or ground of acid-resistant resin. This is sometimes smoked so that lines scratched through the resin will be clearly visible. A needle exposes the metal without penetrating it. When the design is completed, the plate is submerged in an acid solution that attacks the exposed lines. During the bath the plate is frequently removed, and such lines as are bitten to sufficient depth are coated with stopping-out varnish. The lines receiving the longest exposure to the acid will be the heaviest and darkest in the print. It is also possible to apply the acid locally to the plate. In printing, all varnish is removed, the plate is warmed, coated with etcher's ink, and then carefully wiped so that the ink remains in the depressions but is largely or wholly removed from the surface. It is then covered with a soft, moist…
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Full text Article etching

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
the art of engraving with acid on metal; also the print taken from the metal plate so engraved. In hard-ground etching the plate, usually of copper or zinc, is given a thin coating or ground of acid-resistant resin. This is sometimes smoked so that lines scratched through the resin will be clearly…
| 421 words
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Full text Article etching

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Printmaking technique in which a metal plate (usually copper or zinc) is covered with a waxy overlayer (ground) and then drawn on with an etching needle. The exposed areas are then ‘etched’, or bitten into, by a corrosive agent (acid), so that they will hold ink for printing. The earliest dated…
| 202 words
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Full text Article etching

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Method of engraving in which lines or textures are bitten, or etched, into a metal plate, usually copper, with acid. The image produced has a spontaneity of line that comes from drawing on the plate in the same direct way as with pen or pencil on paper. The first etchings date from the early…
| 109 words
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Full text Article Spring, 1641 (etching)

From Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
Spring, 1641 (etching)
Artist: Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) Location: Private Collection Credit: Spring, 1641 (etching), Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 1641 Medium: etching Description: from a set of 4 female figures symbolising the four seasons; background shows a…
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Full text Article etching

From The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms
1. The process of making a design on a metal plate by means of the action of acid. The design is scratched through an acid-resistant coating, or etching-ground, with a needle, exposing these parts of the metal beneath. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, where the acid…
| 105 words
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Full text Article Six Stages of Mending a Face, 1792 (etching)

From Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
Six Stages of Mending a Face, 1792 (etching)
Artist: Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827) Location: Private Collection Credit: Six Stages of Mending a Face, 1792 (etching), Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 1792 Medium: etching Description: published by S. W. Fores 1792. The head and shoulders of…
| 231 words , 1 image
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Full text Article Summer, 1641 (etching)

From Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
Summer, 1641 (etching)
Artist: Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) Location: Private Collection Credit: Summer, 1641 (etching), Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 1641 Medium: etching Description: from a set of 4 female figures symbolising the four seasons; background shows a view…
| 100 words , 1 image
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Full text Article Mary Frith (etching)

From Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
Mary Frith (etching)
Artist: English School, (17th century) Location: Private Collection Credit: Mary Frith (etching), English School, (17th century) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 17th c. Medium: etching Description: also known as Molly Cutpurse; born 1584/9 and died 1659; celebrated thief; a…
| 100 words , 1 image
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Full text Article Spring, 1643 (etching)

From Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
Spring, 1643 (etching)
Artist: Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) Location: Private Collection Credit: Spring, 1643 (etching), Hollar, Wenceslaus (1607-77) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library Date: 1643 Medium: etching Description: from a set of 4 female figures symbolising the four seasons; background shows a…
| 147 words , 1 image
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Full text Article etching

From The Macquarie Dictionary
| 62 words
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