incisore

Incisore is an Italian term for an artist who creates engravings for printmaking. An incisore practices intaglio techniques, cutting or biting lines into a metal plate, typically copper or zinc, with tools such as a burin, or by applying acid in etching. The plate is inked, wiped, and pressed with damp paper; ink remains in the incised lines and is transferred to paper. Incisions can range from fine linear work to broader tonal areas, and methods used include burin line engraving, etching (acquaforte), drypoint, and mezzotint.

The practice has deep roots in late medieval and Renaissance Europe and flourished through the Baroque and Enlightenment periods. Italian, Dutch, German, and French workshops produced engravings for reproducing paintings, illustrating books, or as standalone prints. Engravers often collaborated with painters or publishers to disseminate images widely and to establish reputations through technical mastery.

Notable incisori include Marcantonio Raimondi, who helped disseminate Raphael’s designs; Giovanni Battista Piranesi, renowned for architectural prints; and Rembrandt van Rijn, whose intaglio works are highly regarded. In modern contexts, the term can refer to artists continuing traditional intaglio practices or scholars studying the history of printmaking.

Related topics include engraving, etching, aquatint, and mezzotint.