The idea of full-color printing, then, was in the air, although later, in the 

 Enquiry, Jackson took pains to state that he had not been following in the footsteps 

 of the Frenchman, who, he claimed, had made serious mistakes. 



The Curious may think that this Tentamine was taken from the celebrated Mr. 

 le Blond; I must here take the Liberty to explain tlie Difference . . . Numbers are 

 convinced already, that the printing Copper-plates done with Fiimo or Mezzotinto, 

 are the most subject to wear out the soonest of any sort of Engraving on that 

 Metal. Had this one Article been properly considered, le Blond, must have seen 

 the impossibility of printing any Quantity from his repeated Impressions of Blue, 

 Red, and Yellow Plates, so as to produce only Twenty of these printed Pictures to 

 be alike. This is obvious to every one who has any Knowledge, or has seen the 

 cleaning of Copper-plates after the Colour was laid on; the delicate finishing of 

 the Flesh must infallibly wear out every time the Plate is cleaned, and all the 

 tender light Shadowing of any Colour must soon become white in proportion as 

 the Plate wears. The Nature of Impression being overlooked at first, was the 

 principal Cause that Undertaking came to nothing, notwithstanding the immense 

 Expence the Proprietors were at to have a few imperfect Proofs at best, since it is 

 evident they could be no other. The new invented Mediod of printing in Colours 

 by Mr. Jackson is under no Apprehension of being wore out so soon . . . Whatever 

 has been done by our English Artist, was all printed with Wood Blocks with a 

 strong Relievo, and in Substance sufficient to draw off almost any number that 

 may be required. 



What Jackson neglected to mention was the difficulty of repeating trans- 

 parent color effects with large planks of wood. Few existing impressions match 

 each other and some prints are off register. What saved him was his fine color 

 sense, his brilliance as a woodcutter, and his disinclination to make literal color 

 reproductions. 



The work that Jackson left behind became a part of the cultural heritage of 

 Venice, valued on its own account as well as for its connection with the city. 

 Zanetti'' describes the Venetian set and Zanotto,"" in his Guida of 1856, urges a 

 visit to the Chiesa Abaziale della Misericordia, which evidently had on permanent 

 exhibition a "perfectly unique collection of woodcuts in various colors by Jackson, 

 quite unmatched." 



°^ Zanetti, 1792, pp. 689, 716. ^■' Zanotto, 1856, p. 320, note 3. 



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