811 
ENGRAVING. 
G. Audran, and is nowalmoft univerfally pradlifed, whe¬ 
ther tlie work be in ftrokes or in dots. 
Engraving in dots, now fo highly improved under tlie 
name°of Jlibblivg, or chalk, is a very old invention, and the 
only mode difcovered by the Italians. Agoftino de Mufis, 
commonly called Augujlinc of Venice, a pupil of Marc An¬ 
tonio, ufed it in feveral of his earlieft works, but confined 
it to the flefh. He flouriflied from 1509 to 1536. We 
alfo find it in a print by Giulio Campagnola, about the 
year 1516. The back ground is executed with round 
dots, made apparently with a dry point. 
In the condudt of the graver and dry point, confifts all 
the excellence of this valuable art ; for which there are 
no rules to be given ; all depending on the habitude, dif- 
pofition, and genius, of the artift. However, as the prin¬ 
ciples of engraving are the fame with thole of painting, 
a perfon cannot expedt to attain any confiderable degree of 
eminence, who is not a good mailer of defign ; and there¬ 
fore he ought to be well acquainted with perfpedlive and 
architecture : the former, by the proper gradations of 
ftrong and faint colours, will enable him to throw back¬ 
wards the figures and other objedls of the pidture or de¬ 
fign which lie propofes to imitate ; and the latter w ill 
teacli him to preferve the due proportion of its feveral 
orders, which the painter often entruils to the diferetion 
of the engraver. In order to preferve equality and union 
in his works, the engraver fhould always Iketch out the 
principal objedls of his piece before he undertakes to 
finifii them. In working, the Itrokes of th? graver lliould 
never be eroded too much in a lozenge manner, particu¬ 
larly in the reprefentation of flefli, becaufe Iharp angles 
produce the unpleafing elfedl of lattice-work, and take 
from the eye the repofe which is agreeable to it in all 
kinds of pidfurelque defigns: we diould except the cafe 
of clouds, tempefts, waves of the fea, the (kins of hairy 
animals, or the leaves of trees, where this method of 
eroding may be admitted. But in avoiding the lozenge, 
it is not proper to get entirely into the fquare, which 
■would give too much of the hardnefs of (lone. In con- 
dudling the ftrokes, the adlion of the figures, and of all 
their parts, Ihould be conlidered; and it fiiould be ob- 
ferved how they advance towards, or recede from, the 
eye ; and the graver diould be guided according to the 
rifings or cavities of the mufcles or folds, making the 
Ilrokes wider and fainter in the light, and clofer and firmer 
in the diades. Thus the figures will not appear jagged ; 
and the hand fhould be lightened in fuch a manner, that 
the outlines may be formed and terminated without being 
cut too hard; how'ever, though the ftrokes break off where 
the mufcle begins, yet they ought always to have a cer¬ 
tain connection with each other, fo that the firft ftroke 
may often ferve by its return to make the fecond, 
which will (how the freedom of the engraver. But to 
excel in producing a powerful imitation of flefh, and in 
giving a foft and delicate turn to the mufcular fibre, it is 
neceflary that the artift fhould clofely ftudy the ftrudture 
of the human body ; and in order to give energy and true 
character to ftill life, he fhould ftudy the general phyfio- 
logy of man and animals. 
Etching, or the artifice of working with aquafortis, 
has been of late fo much improved, that inftead of being 
now deemed a coarfe or fpurious kind of engraving, it 
evidently appears the foundation of an excellence in many 
modern works, that could never have been produced 
without it. There are two methods praCtifed of engrav¬ 
ing in this way ; the one with a hard varnifh or ground, 
the other with a foft. The firft was formerly much ufed, 
being better accommodated to the intention of imitating 
the engraving with the tool; as the firmnefs of the body 
of the varnifh gave more opportunity of retouching the 
lines, or enlarging them with the oval-pointed needles, 
called by the French cchoppes, as was praCtifed by Le Boffe 
and others-for that purpofe. The latter has now almoft 
wholly fuperfeded the ufe of the other, by the free man¬ 
ner of working it admits of; which affords a power of ex- 
preftion incompatible with the greater inflexibility of the 
hard varnifh, that confines the lines and hatches to fuch 
a regularity and famenefs, as gives a fiiffnefs of manner 
and coldnefs of effeCt to the work. 
The mixture of the ufe of the tool and aquafortis, 
which are thus both employed, has obvioufly given that 
perfection to engraving which it poftefies at prefent. 
The truth and fpirit of the outline that the method of 
working with aquafortis affords, and the variety of (hades 
produced in this way, as well as other means of exprefting 
the peculiar appearance and character of particular fub- 
jeCts, furnifh what was defective in the foie ufe of the 
tool; while, on the other hand, the exaCtnefs and regu¬ 
larity of the lines, which are required for finifhing many 
kinds of defigns, are fupplied by the graver; and by a 
judicious application of both, 'that coniplete finifhing is 
obtained, which either of them alone would neceffarily 
want. 
The manner by which this art is performed, is the co¬ 
vering the fitrface of the plate with a proper varnifh or 
ground, as it is called, which is capable of refilling aqua¬ 
fortis ; and then fcoring or feraping away, by inftruments 
refembling needles, the parts of this varnifh or ground, 
in the places where the ftrokes or hatches of the engrav¬ 
ing are intended to be : then, the plate being covered 
with aquafortis, the parts that are laid naked and expofed by 
removing the ground or varnifh, are corroded or eaten 
away by it; while the reft, being fecured and defended, 
remain untouched. But the varnifh ought always to be 
harder in fnmmer than in winter. For the mofi approved 
kinds, fee the article Varnish. 
The plate being thus prepared, and an exact drawing 
of the outlines of the defign made upon thin paper, the 
other fide of the paper mud be rubbed over with red 
chalk feraped to a powder; and the loofe chalk cleared 
off with a linen rag : then tlie ftained fide of the paper is 
laid upon the- varnifh, fixing the corners to the plate with 
wax or wafers, to prevent its moving ; and with a blunt¬ 
ed needle or point the drawing is (lightly traced, and com¬ 
municates to the varnifh an exaCt ofTtline of the defign to 
be etched. If any fcratches or falfe ftrokes happen in the 
working, they are to be ftopped up with a hair-pencil 
dipped in Venetian varnifh, mixed with lamb-black, by 
which means thefe places will be defended from the adiion 
of the aquafortis. The next operation is to make a bor¬ 
der of foft wax round the plate about an inch high, to 
contain the aquafortis. At one of the corners of this 
border a gutter is ufually made, which ferves for pouring 
the aquafortis oft' the plate. The plate being thus bor¬ 
dered, the etching is to be made as follows : Take a due 
quantity of the refiners aquafortis; mix it with half its 
quantity of common water ; and pour it gently on, till it 
rife above a finger’s breadth above the furface of the 
plate ; when, if all things have been rightly conducted, 
it will be feen that the aquafortis will foon exert its ac¬ 
tion in the hatches or parts which have been ftrongly 
touched ; but thofe more weakly engraved will appear at 
firft clear, and of the colour of the copper. The men- 
ftruum muft therefore be fiiffered to continue on the plate 
till its eftedts become vifible on the more tender parts: 
then the aquafortis fhould be poured off, the plate waflied 
with clean water, and dried before the fire : then take a 
fmall pencil dipped into the Venetian varnifh, and cover 
with it the lighter parts of the plate. This being done, 
the aquafortis muft again be poured on, and fuffered to 
continue a longer or fhorter time, according to the ftrength 
of the menftruum, or the nature of the engraving ; when 
it muft be again poured oft’ as before, and the plate im¬ 
mediately waflied with water. It may not be improper 
to obferve, that, when the aquafortis is on the plate, a 
feather fhould be ufed to cleanfe away the foulnels of the 
verdigris that gathers in the hatches when the aquafortis 
operates on them, and to give it more room to exert its 
adtion ; for by moving the aquafortis to and fro on the 
plate by the feather, and bruihing away the black faline 
matter 
