engravings

Incised plate impressions

Engravings are images or designs cut into a hard surface, or prints made from such surfaces.

The term covers both the carved original and the reproductions pulled from it: The museum displayed Renaissance engravings.

An engraving may also be decorative work incised into metal objects like jewelry or trophies: The watch had a personal engraving on the back.

printmaking

etching

Acid-incised metal print

intaglioCarving cut below surface
copperplateFormal looped penmanship
aquatintTonal etching process

drypoint · mezzotint · woodcut · linocut · burin · plate · printmaking · lithography · serigraphy · silkscreen

technique

incise

Cut into material

chiselEdged carving implement
gougeConcave carving blade
carveCut to shape

etch · score · inscribe · crosshatch · hatching · linework · relief · intaglio · stipple · sgraffito

antique

patina

Surface film from aging

collectibleObject worth amassing
heirloomInherited family treasure
vintageQuality from past eras

relic · antiquarian · memorabilia · heritage · provenance · authenticity · conservation · restoration · ornate · timeless

historical

hieroglyphics

Symbolic picture-based writing

petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces

pictographs · runes · glyphs · stele · reliefs · epigraphy · paleography · numismatics · archaeology · tablets

detail

precision

Accuracy of measurement

intricacyState of elaborate complexity
finenessPurity or thinness measure
craftsmanshipSkill in making objects

linework · texture · delicacy · sharpness · clarity · definition · nuance · subtlety · minutiae · ornamentation

decorative

jewelry

Ornamental personal accessories

silverwareMetal eating utensils
trophiesPrizes for achievement
plaquesCommemorative mounted inscriptions

watches · glassware · tombstones · monuments · signage · gunstock · chalices · medallions · coins · seals

Categories

antique printsbotanical prints, bird prints, lithographs, etchings, landscape prints
sporting arthunting scenes, wildlife art, fox hunting, deer hunting, duck hunting
chapbookschapbooks, booklet, booklets, blue books, cheap print
Early American Artportraits, portraiture, samplers, weathervanes, folk art
German RenaissanceHans Holbein, Holbein, Nuremberg, Martin Luther, woodcuts
Reformation Artwoodcuts, iconoclasm, altarpieces, biblical scenes, Protestant churches

Opposites

artistic medium/technique

engravingspaintings

Pictures made with pigment

watercolors · drawings · oil paintings · brushwork · sketches

surface treatment

engravingsreliefs

Raised surface carvings

embossings · raised lettering · bas-reliefs · appliqués · overlays

reproduction method

engravingsphotographs

Light-captured images

photographic prints · photocopies · screen prints

Phrases

stone engravingInscription carved in rock
metal engravingDesign incised in alloy
laser engravingBurning designs with focused beams
custom engravingBespoke text etched in
wood engravingPrint from carved lumber
ancient engravingOld carved inscription

Family

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G