"He is praised as an innovator, yet he is also maligned as derivative and labeled a mere craftsman."
Freyda Spira, historian
As a decorative technique, etching had been in use for many years before the birth of Daniel Hopfer (1470- 1536), possibly since antiquity. His innovation was to apply the method to printmaking. The etching process begins by covering a metal plate with a waxy material called a ground. Lines are then scratched into the ground with a needle to expose bare metal where the artist wants lines to appear on the print. The plate is then washed with (or dipped into) acid, which cuts into the exposed metal, leaving lines etched in the plate.
The longer the plate is submerged, the deeper the incision, and the darker the lines will appear on the print. For a more sophisticated finished print, the process can be repeated to allow for different tones within the piece. Once ready, the plate is covered in ink that is then wiped away, leaving ink only in the incisions and rough areas. The plate is covered by a sheet of wet paper and passed through a press. The pressure of the press forces the paper into the incisions, leaving a mirror image of the plate on the paper.
Hopfer's technique was influential because it was easy. Another way of making prints is to engrave, but this requires metalwork skills. The only prerequisite for etching is to be able to "draw" into the ground.
