![“[Blackwork] was produced in Northern Europe (mostly Germany and France) between about 1580 and 1630. The fairly obvious characteristic that identifies a blackwork engraving is the inclusion of solid areas of blackness, as opposed to a normal engraving in which the motif is formed by fine lines from a burin. But blackwork prints often incorporate elements engraved in the traditional way as well.
The variation in engraving technique almost certainly resulted from goldsmiths having taken up the art of printmaking. Examination of surviving copper plates shows that the surface cuts were likely produced by the same tools goldsmiths used to prepare precious metals to receive enamel. The blackwork engraving on the harder copper metal was undoubtedly a laborious process, restricting its use to goldsmiths familiar with the trade tools. ”
BibliOdyssey: Blackwork Prints](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kzuukrNtUT1qz4bvfo1_500.jpg)
“[Blackwork] was produced in Northern Europe (mostly Germany and France) between about 1580 and 1630. The fairly obvious characteristic that identifies a blackwork engraving is the inclusion of solid areas of blackness, as opposed to a normal engraving in which the motif is formed by fine lines from a burin. But blackwork prints often incorporate elements engraved in the traditional way as well.
The variation in engraving technique almost certainly resulted from goldsmiths having taken up the art of printmaking. Examination of surviving copper plates shows that the surface cuts were likely produced by the same tools goldsmiths used to prepare precious metals to receive enamel. The blackwork engraving on the harder copper metal was undoubtedly a laborious process, restricting its use to goldsmiths familiar with the trade tools. ”
