Drypoint
Description
An Intaglio printing technique prepared by scratching a design directly onto a printing plate, without the use of an Etching ground. The plate is usually a metal sheet, with a sharp-pointed tool. Drypoint prints characteristically have a fuzzy appearance due to the burrs and ridges along the printed lines. Initially used in the late 15th century by artists such as Dürer, the technique was replaced by mechanized printing but regained some popularity by the 19th century.
Synonyms and Related Terms
dry point; Kaltnadelredierung (Deut.)
Additional Images
Drypoint by Pisarro
MFA# 1974.533
Drypoint by Pisarro
MFA# 1983.220
Drypoint by Degas
MFA# 1983.310
Drypoint by rembrandt
MFA# 31.1287
Drypoint by Cassatt
MFA# 41.813
Drypoint by Rembrandt
MFA# 1976.744
Drypoint detail
MFA# 1976.744
Plate showing detail
MFA# 1976.744
Resources and Citations
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "drypoint." Accessed 3 Feb. 2005 .
- Luis Nadeau, Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic, and Photomechanical Processes, Atelier, New Brunswick, 1997 Comment: copper or zinc plate
- The Bullfinch Guide to Art History, Shearer West (ed.), Bullfinch Press, Boston, 1996
- B. Gascoigne, How to Identify Prints, Thames & Hudson, London, 2004