Designs for a Dial and Other Gold- and Silversmiths’ Wares

As a way of making their designs better known, many gold- and silversmiths resorted to the art of printmaking. Their metalworking experience was translated into new printing techniques, such as the so-called blackwork ornament, in which they carved deep into the copper plate and reserved the white passages. The Parisian goldsmith Hurtu’s engravings are among the finest examples of this technique.