Home - Copper Engraving - Resource Guides at National Library, Singapore

Introduction

Copper engraving is the art of carving on thin copper plates. Ink is pushed into the grooves made, and paper is pressed firmly on the plate to form a print. It is the oldest form of intaglio (carved) printmaking in Western art history. Other intaglio techniques include etching (dipping the plate in an acid bath to create deep grooves), mezzotint, drypoint, and aquatint.

Before photography was invented, engraving was the principle method for copying paintings. This resource guide will help you find information on engraving and other printing techniques at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.

This guide was produced for the Singapore Art Museum's exhibition "Engraving the World: A Selection from the Chalcography Collection of the Louvre Museum", in 2007.

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