Hoofd van een oude man van boven kaal en profile 1708 - 1779

Honoré Coussin made this etching of an old man's head sometime in the 18th century. The etching process itself involves covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratching an image into that surface. Finally, you submerge the plate in acid, which bites away the exposed metal. Notice how Coussin used this process to create a sense of depth and texture in the man’s beard and hat. It is all just thin lines, but close together they give the impression of shadow and form. The relative ease of printmaking allowed artists like Coussin to make multiple copies of their work. Prints like this one were made to be collected and studied. As such, they occupy an interesting place between fine art and the more workaday world of commercial reproduction. By understanding the means of production, we can better appreciate the artistic decisions that Coussin made.