Skip to Content
Closed now, next open tomorrow. Closed now, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

The Engraver and the Etcher

A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1643

Artist:

Abraham Bosse
French, 1602-1676

About this artwork

Abraham Bosse wrote the first important treatise on the art of etching in 1645. His highly influential publication urged etchers to aspire to the precision of engravers, rather than cultivating the peculiarities of the etched line, like Rembrandt. To achieve a swelling line akin to an engraving, bosse utilized an instrument called an ‘échoppe’, a beveled etching needle, which he could twist in the ground to create variable widths of etched line, similar to the work of Jacques Callot. In this print, the etcher is working easily on the left, while the engraver is struggling to incise his plate on the right.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Abraham Bosse

Title

The Engraver and the Etcher

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1643

Medium

Etching on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Plate: 25.7 × 32.4 cm (10 1/8 × 12 13/16 in.); Sheet: 27.5 × 34 cm (10 7/8 × 13 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Endowment

Reference Number

1950.1452

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/72665/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms