Sculptura, or, The history and art of chalcography and engraving in copper.

Evelyn, John.

Sculptura, or, The history and art of chalcography and engraving in copper.

London

Printed for J. Payne

1755

Originally published in 1662, the Sculptura of John Evelyn (1620–1706) includes the first published instructions on producing mezzotints, a method of engraving in which the surface of a copper plate is first roughened, and then selectively smoothed, producing velvety tonal gradations in the resulting illustration. Prince Rupert, a prominent Royalist and early member of the Royal Society, encountered the mezzotint technique while exiled in Holland, and perfected it. Among the illustrations in the original 1662 edition of Evelyn’s Sculptura is this famous plate by Prince Rupert known as the Little Executioner, a detail from one of the first true mezzotint prints ever created.

Purchased in 2001 through the generosity of Leonard J. Hansen.