对蚀刻版画在15世纪末至16世纪初在欧洲的起源和分布的首次全面概述。

在金属上蚀刻图像最初是用作装饰盔甲的方法，在15世纪末首次被用作版画技术。这项深入的研究探索了蚀刻版画的起源，它从装饰技术到美术的演变，以及它在文艺复兴初期在整个欧洲的传播，从而导致了16世纪50年代荷兰这一领域的专业化。

这本插图精美的书展示了文艺复兴时期人们熟知的艺术家的作品，包括阿尔布雷希特•丢勒，扬•高萨尔，老彼得•布鲁格和帕玛强尼诺，还有一些鲜为人知的从业者，例如丹尼尔•霍普弗和卢卡斯•范•莱登，他们的开拓性工作为伦勃朗和戈雅等后来的版画家铺平了道路。

本书还包括对蚀刻过程清晰而有趣的描述，并对这种媒介如何允许艺术家们创作出比纸版画更耐用，比木刻更精致的细节丰富的版画进行了调查。

The first comprehensive look at the origins and diffusion across Europe of the etched print during the late 15th and early 16th centuries

The etching of images on metal, originally used as a method for decorating armor, was first employed as a printmaking technique at the end of the 15th century. This in-depth study explores the origins of the etched print, its evolution from decorative technique to fine art, and its spread across Europe in the early Renaissance, leading to the professionalization of the field in the Netherlands in the 1550s. Beautifully illustrated, this book features the work of familiar Renaissance artists, including Albrecht Dürer, Jan Gossart, Pieter Breughel the Elder, and Parmigianino, as well as lesser known practitioners, such as Daniel Hopfer and Lucas van Leyden, whose pioneering work paved the way for later printmakers like Rembrandt and Goya. The book also includes a clear and fascinating description of the etching process, as well as an investigation of how the medium allowed artists to create highly detailed prints that were more durable than engravings and more delicate than woodblocks.