The Renaissance of Etching

The Renaissance of Etching offers the first comprehensive look at the origins and diffusion across Europe of the etched print during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

The etching of images on metal, originally used as a method for decorating armour, was first employed as a printmaking technique at the end of the 15th century. This in-depth study explores the origins of the etched print, its evolution from decorative technique to fine art, and its spread across Europe in the early Renaissance, leading to the professionalisation of the field in the Netherlands in the 1550s.

Beautifully illustrated, The Renaissance of Etching features the work of familiar Renaissance artists, including Albrecht Dürer, Jan Gossart, Pieter Breughel the Elder, and Parmigianino. It also highlights lesser-known practitioners, such as Daniel Hopfer and Lucas van Leyden, whose pioneering work paved the way for later printmakers like Rembrandt and Goya.

The book includes a clear and fascinating description of the etching process, as well as an investigation of how the medium allowed artists to create highly detailed prints that were more durable than engravings and more delicate than woodblocks.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press.

Exhibition Schedule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(October 23, 2019–January 19, 2020)