oa Experiment and trial: technical developments in 17^th-century intaglio printmaking, an overview

We just briefly referred to the importance of the skills of the printmakers to achieve satisfying to remarkable results. During the 17^th century many engravers and etchers explored their medium with enthusiasm. They played with the composition of the etching grounds (e.g. ‘vernis mol’), manipulated the ink recipes, tried various manners of printing (e.g. ‘à la poupée’, ‘au réperage’). Sometimes the experiments could lead to new techniques, such as the ‘mezzotint’ or the ‘gelatine casting’.