The Wagon Driver and the Milkmaid, 1768
Jean-Baptiste Le Princeexpand_more
Etching and aquatint in brown inkexpand_more
Gift of Herschel V. Jones, by exchangeexpand_more P.85.35.108
Not on Viewexpand_more
This album of prints, comprising 137 etchings and aquatints by Jean-Baptiste Le Prince looks just like an album of drawings. Le Prince’s aquatint technique was unrivaled in his day. To mimic wash drawing so convincingly, he used a very fine aquatint dust grain and found a unique way of applying it to the copper plate to maximize his range of tone. After etching the composition, he applied a second ground to the copper plate. Then as though applying wash, he brushed on a special solvent—made of olive oil, turpentine, and lampblack ink—to the areas he wanted tone, exposing those passages of the plate. Next he would apply a sugar solution to the bare areas. When he applied the powdered resin and heated the plate, the resin would fuse to the sugared areas, creating a porous surface.
Details
- Title
- The Wagon Driver and the Milkmaid
- Artist Life
- 1734 - 1781
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.85.35.108
- Catalogue Raisonne
- H. 133 iii/iii
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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