Mezzotint (redirected from Mezzotinto)

mezzotint (mĕt`sətĭnt, mĕd`zə–, mĕz`ə–) [Ital.,=halftint], method of copper or steel engraving in tone. A Dutch officer, Ludwig von Siegen, is given credit for the invention of mezzotint c.1640. The process then came into prominence in England early in the 18th cent. Mezzotint involves uniform burring with a curved, sawtoothed tool by cradling it back and forth until the surface of the plate presents an all-over, even grain. This yields a soft effect in the print. The picture is developed in chiaroscuro with a scraper and a burnisher, every degree of light and shade from black to white being attainable. In pure mezzotint, no line drawing is employed, the result being soft without the sharp lines of an etching. Mezzotint was often used for the reproduction of paintings, particularly, in England, for landscapes and portraits. The process is essentially extinct today.

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mezzotint

(from Italian mezza tinta, “halftone”) Engraving produced by pricking the surface of a metal plate with innumerable small holes that will hold ink. When the engraving is printed, the ink produces large areas of tone with soft, subtle gradations. Engraved or etched lines are often introduced to give the design greater definition. Mezzotint was invented in Holland by German-born Ludwig von Siegen in the 17th century but thereafter was practiced primarily in England. Its adaptability to making colour prints made it ideal for the reproduction of paintings. After the invention of photography, it was rarely used. In recent years the technique has been revived, especially by U.S. and Japanese printmakers.

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mezzotint [′met·sə‚tint]

(graphic arts)

An engraving process in which a copper or steel plate is first entirely roughened by rubbing Carborundum between it and another plate and by using a steel chisel with an edge set with minute teeth which rock into the plate at various angles; the rough-grain plate is burnished with a steel instrument to produce appropriate white areas of the design.

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Mezzotint 

a method of engraving on metal related to intaglio. In preparing the copper plate for mezzotint engraving, a burr is raised on its polished surface either mechanically or chemically. Such a rough plate will print an even black. The design is made on the plate (sometimes painted) with a needle or pencil; the areas intended to be light are smoothed or scraped, creating soft gradations from dark to light. Mezzotint engravings are distinguished by deep and velvety tonal qualities and the richness and subtlety of chiaroscuro effects. The mezzotint process is also used for color prints.

Mezzotint was invented by the German master L. Von Siegan in the mid-17th century. It was popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly in England (J. R. Smith, V. Green, R. Earlom, J. Ward, and J. Walker). It was also widely used in France (J. C. Le Blon), Russia (I. Shtenglin, I. A. Selivanov), and other countries. Mezzotint was used primarily for the reproduction of paintings.

A. S. ZAITSEV