Soft ground etching
Description
An etching prepared from a plate that is covered with a thin, soft, tacky material. Soft ground etching was used since the late 18th century to produce offset drawings with very fine textures. For the technique, a printing plate is spread with the soft ground (often containing resin, Wax, and/or Grease), then covered with a Drawing paper. As the artist draws the image, the pressure causes the tacky ground to adhere to the paper and thus expose the metal plate. Once the paper is removed, the plate is etched with a weak Acid.
Synonyms and Related Terms
soft-ground etching; Weichgrundradierung (Deut.)
Additional Images
Soft ground etching
MFA# 2001.685
Soft ground etching
detail MFA# 2001.685
Soft ground etching
MFA# 2001.688
Soft ground etching
detail MFA# 2001.688
Soft ground etching
MFA# 2001.700
Soft ground etching
detail MFA# 2001.700
Resources and Citations
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "printmaking." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service 3 Feb. 2005 .
- Luis Nadeau, Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic, and Photomechanical Processes, Atelier, New Brunswick, 1997
- The Bullfinch Guide to Art History, Shearer West (ed.), Bullfinch Press, Boston, 1996
- B. Gascoigne, How to Identify Prints, Thames & Hudson, London, 2004