Two Dogs Resting, from Die Zweite Thierfolge 1800

Johann Christian Reinhart made this print of two dogs in the late 18th or early 19th century. It’s an etching, meaning that the artist would have drawn into a waxy ground laid on a metal plate, which was then bathed in acid. The acid bites into the metal where the ground has been removed, leaving an image that can then be inked and printed. Look closely, and you can see the material qualities of the lines, their crispness and fineness, which allow for such detail in the dogs’ fur. You can also discern that the lines are not uniform: Reinhart has varied the pressure and duration of the acid bath to create a sense of light and shadow. The print medium allowed Reinhart to create multiple impressions of the scene, suitable for widespread circulation. Etchings like this one played a crucial role in the development of visual culture and a burgeoning art market.