Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Engraved copperplate for The Battle at Tam-dy and Tru-huu
Not on view
This copperplate, made in China and engraved by Chinese craftsmen, is one of six commemorating the Annam Campaign. The adjacent impression was printed from the plate, but because Chinese engravers lacked experience with the European technique of copperplate engraving, it is inferior in quality to its French counterparts.
Unlike woodcuts, where the design stands out in relief, copperplate engravings are taken from lines cut into a metal plate. The plates are inked and wiped clean so that ink is left only in the incisions. The images are printed under great pressure from a rolling press that forces the dampened paper into the grooves to absorb the ink. Woodblocks and copperplates are both cut in reverse.
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