etchingmanual — Ross Woodrow

selection of illustrations from the first manual on etching by Abraham Bosse in 1662

Note the shape of the échoppe etching needle invented by Callot that allowed very fine or very broad tracks to be traced in the hard ground by rolling the direction of the point. (Copy)

The plate is not submerged in a tray of acid as often done today but the acid is poured over the plate. (Copy)

The pose of the printer with a foot on one handle indicates the degree of pressure applied by the rollers. (Copy)

The first comprehensive manual on etching in Europe [Treatise of ways to engrave in silver and brass. By means of strong waters, and hard and soft varnishes. Set of the way to print the plates & to build the press, & other things concerning the said arts, ] was published by Abraham Bosse (1602 - 1676) in Paris in 1645 when Rembrandt was well established as an etcher. The subsequent adaptions of this manual, such as the example in English by William Faithorne (1616 - 1691), published in 1662 in London, follow the Bosse publication closely and the illustrations are copied, although often lacking the quaility of the originals. Incidentally, the plates in the original French edition were etched by Bosse and remained in use for the later printings and editions for almost a century. The first English version is available on Archive and linked below.

The art of graveing, and etching, wherein is exprest the way of graveing in copper. Allso the manner & method of that famous Callot, & Mr. Bosse, in their severall ways of etching 1662

This manual is a delight to read (when you get used to the old English lower case “s” looking like an “f” especially here where they are unusually both often given serifs so cutting off the usual lower sweep of the “s”. Only the “f” has the cross bar so it’s not that difficult to familiarise yourself with it.

Aqua Fortis, used throughout, is acid (mostly nitric, always for the alchemists) but you will see the term seems to be generic for any acid mixture including the far less toxic one: (vinegar, salt, ammonium chloride, and copper sulphate). The Dutch mordant mix used today (Hydrochloric plus water and a dash of potassium chloride) was not developed until the middle of the nineteenth century. Interestingly the acid was poured over the plate from a glazed ceramic jug and into a glazed ceramic trough below – again illustrated, in the manual. This was done over and over, with rotating of the plate every few minutes on the network of lugs holding it. More than likely Rembrandt also used a bath of acid to submerge the plates as the evidence of blocked areas in some plates from bubbles of nitric acid forming, which would not occur with pouring. He could also have used, for small plates especially, the method of building a wax banking wall around the perimeter of the plate to contain the acid on the surface. [see Louise Wilson “Rembrandt’s Printmaking Techniques” in the NGV catalogue Rembrandt - True to Life 2023 (pp 234 - 237).

The basics haven’t changed much since the seventeenth century. The methods of transferring designs onto plates are much as today – even includes a recipe for making tracing paper. Most interesting, to answer the usual question of how long to soak paper – the recommendation was to always soak your paper overnight. Given that editions would often be in hundreds the paper would have to remain moist for a day at least. As is noted, if the paper was left at the end of the day it should be soaked again the next night.

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