Hardback with dust-wrapper, published by Thames and Hudson, 1990. 11 1/4 x 9 1/4" - 285 x 235mm; 296 pages, 310 illustrations, 25 in colour.
Good, clean condition, binding tight; no marks or inscriptions.
According to the jacket blurb:
Of the several types of print made from a copper plate, the mezzotint, printing tones instead of lines, offers the greatest richness and colour ... In this first comprehensive study of every aspect of the mezzotint, Carol Wax traces the history of the medium: its earliest presentation to the public in Amsterdam in l642, its growth in the eighteenth century, particularly in England, as a means of disseminating inexpensive copies of popular painting, its decline in the nineteenth century in the face of competition from cheaper printmaking processes, and its resurgence in the twentieth Century. While mezzotint is currently experiencing a revival after nearly a hundred years of neglect, few artists have the tremendous skill, tenacity and technical expertise required to do it well. And because its importance in art history has been largely overlooked, many techniques have been forgotten. The extensive technical section clearly outlines the procedures for making a mezzotint: from the selection, care and preparation of tools, to the various kinds of plates, inks and papers that may be used; from preparing and 'rocking' the copper plate, to scraping and burnishing images, details and highlights, making corrections, and incorporating other graphic processes for special effect. Over 300 close-up photographs and detailed line drawings augment the text, including 25 colour plates, carefully reproduced to illuminate the mezzotints' tonal subtleties. A select bibliography, an index and a list of suppliers complete this volume, which will be a major resource for art historians, collectors and enthusiasts, as well as the professional artist, for many years to come.
