Mezzotints

Mezzotint is an intaglio printmaking process that produces images with rich blacks and a wide range of tonal values. It was invented in the mid-17th century by Ludwig von Siegen, a German-born painter living in the Netherlands. The defining feature is the preparation of the metal plate: the entire surface is roughened, typically with a heavy rocker, to create a mosaic of burrs that will print as a solid black.

To reveal lighter tones, the burr is removed selectively by burnishing, scraping, and occasionally polishing, thereby creating lighter grays and whites. The process is often combined with selective stopping-out varnishes to preserve areas from ink inking, enabling complex tonal effects without line engraving. The plate is usually copper; zinc plates are used in later practice. After inking the plate and wiping away the surface, the image is printed by pressing damp paper onto the inked plate.

Mezzotint is known for its ability to render subtle transitions and velvety blacks, making it suited for reproducing paintings and for portraits and landscapes. It contrasts with etched or aquatint methods by emphasizing tonal rather than line-based results and by requiring extensive manual refinement to create midtones.

Historically, mezzotint flourished in 18th-century Britain and the Continent, becoming a popular method for reproducing paintings and for original printmaking. Its labor-intensive process gradually declined with the rise of other photomechanical techniques in the 19th century, but it has never disappeared entirely; contemporary printmakers continue to explore mezzotint, sometimes in combination with aquatint, drypoint, or modern photomechanical methods.