Portret van een onbekend Roma meisje 1870

Léopold Flameng created this portrait of an unknown Roma girl, using etching, a printmaking technique dependent on the corrosive action of acid. The image is realized by incising lines into a metal plate, in this case likely copper, which is then inked and printed. The real skill in this process lies in the way the etcher controls the acid, as it bites into the metal. See how Flameng has used hatching and cross-hatching to create a sense of volume and shadow. This is not a quick process, but it is one that can be repeated, allowing for the production of multiple impressions. Etchings like this one were often made for commercial purposes, to be sold as individual prints or bound into books. Flameng was a master of this reproductive technique, making his living by translating the work of other artists into print. Yet, it's important to remember that skilled handwork is always at the origin of any mechanically reproduced image.