A worn book with a faded yellow cover marked by light stains and handwritten letters marked "H2" at the top.
Etching of a robed figure holding a large engraved sheet, seated on a stool carved with a figure, turned halfway toward the viewer and gesturing beside a tall jar.
Engraving of a decorative plaque framed by angels and garlands, inscribed with text.
A decorative border of twisted rope and leaves enclosing French text presenting Abraham Bosse's 1645 engraving manual.
A black and white illustration of a figure holding a candle under a tilted board with small holes, lighting it from below as part of early printmaking methods.
An illustration of printmaking tools, including pointed styluses, a brush, and a sharpening stone, labeled in French.
A diagram depicting different lines including curved lines, parallel hatching, and crosshatching techniques, labeled with letters.
An illustration of two hands demonstrating engaging motions, one angled upwards, and the other downwards, each holding a tool marking directional lines in labeled diagrams.
An illustration of a person leaning over a tilted frame, pouring liquid from a jug onto a metal plate as part of the etching process, with labeled tools and container below.
Instructional diagrams of two framed metal sheets, one upright and one tilted, each positioned on stands to demonstrate printmaking techniques.
Black-and-white Illustration of a draped arm extended over rolling hills, shown on an instructional scroll with labeled diagrams of shaded forms and textures showing etching techniques.
Illustrated diagram of hands demonstrating step-by-step use of tools on metal plates, with labeled figures showing etching technique and tool positioning.
Illustrated diagram showing a labeled technical diagram of a disassembled mechanical printing press, its structural components separated and annotated with letters.
A front-facing technical diagram of a mechanical press, with internal components labeled with lettering.
Etching of a front-facing printing press with a labeled roller reading “Les Langes,” showing a crank handle and flatbed plate beneath within a shadowed interior.
Etching of a drying arrangement showing feathers laid above stacked firewood beneath a draped canopy, with labeled letters marking each component.
An illustration of two hands demonstrating engaging motions, one angled upwards, and the other downwards, each holding a tool marking directional lines in labeled diagrams.
An illustration of a person leaning over a tilted frame, pouring liquid from a jug onto a metal plate as part of the etching process, with labeled tools and container below.
A diagram with two hands demonstrating engraving methods: one pressing a tool onto a metal plate, the other holding a tool at an angle.
A diagram of a disassembled printing press, showing rollers, columns, and support structure, with each component labeled with letters.
Two etched diagrams of a star-shaped device with a central square socket, labeled with numbers.
A printer operates a large wooden printing press while prints hang to dry above.
A worn book with a weathered, yellow back cover with green ink stains and wear along the edges.
A book spread with printed French text on the right page and detailed illustrations of hands using engraving tools on the left page.
Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 / 24 Next image

Abraham Bosse

On the Manner of Etching with Acid and with a Burin, and of Dark-Manner Engraving

Maker

Abraham Bosse (French, 1604 - ca. 1676)

Title

On the Manner of Etching with Acid and with a Burin, and of Dark-Manner Engraving
(De la Manière de graver à l’eau-forte et au burin, et de la gravure en manière noire) Paris

Year

1645

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

etching

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Paris; Place Made: France

Signature / Inscription / Marks

On pastedown:price and accession numbers.Also, in pen upperleft corner:Ds.

Identification

Edition

First Edition

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Herbert N. Straus

Object Number

51.004

Type

Exhibition History

Altered States
Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris
Jun 30, 2017 – Dec 03, 2017

Label copy

This book, the first technical manual on etching, remained the primary resource available to artists from 1645 through the 1800s. Here, Bosse explains how to place a plate on a printing press. A printmaker himself, he strongly favored engraving-a technique that involves carving into, rather than drawing upon, a copper plate. He advocated the extreme regularity and linearity characteristic of that technique, even when working in etching. By the late 1800s, many etchers no longer were interested in this style, and found Bosse’s language overly technical and formal.

Jacques Callot and the Baroque Print
Jun 17, 2011 – Nov 06, 2011

Label copy

The renown of Callot’s technical accomplishments in etching spread throughout Europe partially because of the 1645 publication of this treatise explaining his technique by Abraham Bosse, his friend and pupil. Here, Bosse describes and illustrates how to apply the acid used to bite the plate. The printmaker pours acid onto a plate on a downward ramp that allows it to drain through a hole into a basin on the floor. This procedure is repeated eight or ten times until the plate is adequately bitten (etched). On the following pages, Bosse explains how one must turn the plate sideways while repeating the process so as to give every line equal weight. He then explains how to mask out certain areas with a hard ground made of linseed oil and resin in order to keep them shielded from the chemical if additional etching is required for selected areas.

The Illustrated Book
Oct 21, 1980 – Nov 23, 1980

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Abraham Bosse (French, 1604 - ca. 1676)
On the Manner of Etching with Acid and with a Burin, and of Dark-Manner Engraving; (De la Manière de graver à l’eau-forte et au burin, et de la gravure en manière noire) Paris, 1645
Etching, drypoint, and roulette on cream-colored, moderately textured laid paper
Gift of Mrs. Herbert N. Straus 51.004

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.