Klippegrotte 1788 - 1860

This is Klippegrotte, made by Søren Henrik Petersen in the 19th century, and it's an etching. Etching involves covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then scratching an image into that coating. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating lines. This is an indirect process, reliant on chemistry. The result has a distinctive graphic quality. The material quality of an etching—the fineness of the lines, the subtleties of tone—depends on the etcher's skill and the amount of time spent on the process. Petersen has really mastered the craft here. This aesthetic was very influential, and you can see how prints like this translated into domestic decor like transferware ceramics. Considering prints like this is so important, they were the way images circulated in the world before photography. They challenge us to reconsider how we think about both art and craft.