Playing Tric Trac 1763

Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg made "Playing Tric Trac" using ink on paper. This isn’t paint applied to canvas, but ink delicately brought to life through the printmaking process. Notice how each line has been carefully etched, reflecting the meticulous labor involved in creating a printing plate. Think about the engraver hunched over a metal plate, using specialized tools to carve out these intricate details in reverse. These lines define the characters around the tric trac table and the raucous energy of the scene. The very act of printmaking allowed this scene to be reproduced and disseminated, reaching a wider audience than a unique painting ever could. Printmaking was an innovative technology that democratized imagery, but that shouldn’t distract us from the level of skill involved in executing it.