Beautifully Bitten: Acid-etched Metal in Renaissance and Early Modern Europe

The technique is suitable for strong and durable objects because it does not compromise the structural integrity of the metal. Between 1500 and 1750, production centred on southern Germany and northern Italy where etched armour was a speciality. Daniel Hopfer of Augsburg, a renowned etcher of armour, is widely thought to have invented etched metal plates for printing on paper. Printed etchings are often freer and less exact than traditional engravings, capturing the ‘hand’ of the etcher rather like a pencil sketch.

  • Helmet (Morion)



    Helmet (Morion)
    Northern Italy
    About 1580
    Steel
    Museum no. M.539-1927

    Armour from the late 16th century was sometimes flamboyantly decorated with etching and iridescent blue and gold surfaces. Traces of gold remain in the background of the etched bands on this morion - an open helmet with a brim used by infantry soldiers. Blue colours may have been added - produced by heating the metal - but are no longer visible.

  • Casket



    Casket
    Germany
    Steel
    About 1570–1600
    Museum no. 1054-1893

    Strong boxes like this kept important documents and valuable jewellery safe and secure. This one is etched with allegorical figures. On the front of the casket a woman in classical costume symbolises ‘Music’. She is identified by her instruments - a lyre and a horn. Music was one of the seven liberal arts, a classical programme of education taught in universities.

  • Padlock and Key



    Masterpiece padlock and key
    Southern Germany
    Steel
    About 1580
    Museum no. M.643-1910
    Salting Bequest

    To become a master locksmith an apprentice had to produce a 'masterpiece'. Here the locksmith demonstrated his skill by creating a robust and secure lock and refining its appearance with delicate etching. Similar patterns decorated other 16th century goods and furnishings, from embroidery to tooled leather. Designs circulated among craftspeople through printed versions on paper and were widely recommended in pattern books.

  • Barrel-Maker's Knife



    Cooper’s knife
    Germany
    Steel, brass
    Dated 1702
    Museum no. 126-1873

    Blades are the earliest types of objects known to have been etched with acid. This knife was used by a cooper, or barrel-maker. The etched writing on the blade has been worn away by repeated sharpening. What remains indicates that the inscription on one side is a bawdy rhyme and, on the other, a joke about the social importance of the barrel-maker.

  • Cranequin



    Cranequin
    Southern Germany
    Steel, wood, rope
    1565–1574
    Museum no. M.73-1925

    This is a device for drawing back the string of a crossbow under very high tension. In this example, the ratchet is etched in relief with dogs chasing hares and the drum in intaglio with dancing couples. This combination of scenes reflects the fact that hunting, as an elite sport, was frequently used as a metaphor to describe the pursuit of the opposite sex.

  • Gauntlet



    Gauntlet
    Northern Italy
    Steel
    About 1580
    Museum no. M.466-1927

    This gauntlet survives from a spectacular armour. The bands of etching imitate the embroidered collars and hems of contemporary clothing. The design etched on the wrist guard shows a helmet, armour, scimitars and trumpets attached to a long central pole with sprouting leaves at the top. These military motifs derive from ancient Roman monuments depicting the practice of hanging the weapons and armour of defeated enemies from a tree.

  • Thigh Defence (Cuisse)



    Thigh Defence (Cuisse)
    Possibly Daniel Hopfer (about 1470–1536)
    Southern Germany, Augsburg
    Steel
    About 1515–1525
    Museum no. 402-1864

    This piece of battle armour is characteristic of the early 16th century. Its fluted ridges imitate the pleated clothing fashionable at the time. The etched decoration, featuring bare-breasted sphinxes and cherubs’ heads, is very similar to surviving prints by Daniel Hopfer. Unlike the fluting, which is hammered out from behind, the etching does not alter the shape of the armour or compromise its rigidity.

  • Folding Knife



    Folding knife
    Possibly Germany
    Steel, ivory, gold
    1600–1750 (blade); handle later?
    Museum no. M.101-1923

    This knife was probably used by a scrivener, or scribe, to trim feathers into writing quills. It is a forerunner of the folding penknife. The figure of a saint is etched on the blade but wear on the cutting edge has almost obliterated whatever he held in his right hand. Blades are difficult to date as designs were used over a long time. Blades were also hard-wearing and might be refitted with handles during their lifetime.

  • Cartridge Case and Powder Flask



    Cartridge Case and Powder Flask
    Dresden, Germany
    Steel, wood, leather
    1580–1620
    Museum nos. 1539-1856 and 2234-1855

    These two firearm accessories were attached by their loops to a belt worn across the body, known as a bandolier. They equipped the guards of the Elector of Saxony, in Dresden. Etched decoration was particularly popular at the Dresden court and decorated a range of implements including the Elector’s own gardening and woodworking tools.

  • Printing Plate of Five Soldiers



    Printing plate of five soldiers
    Daniel Hopfer (about 1470–1536)
    Augsburg, Southern Germany
    Steel
    1520–1536
    Museum no. E.6292-1910

    Daniel Hopfer’s initials are etched backwards on the side of the drum carried by the central figure, so that they will read forwards when printed. The entire composition anticipates the reversal of the image when a sheet of paper is pressed against the inked plate. The soldiers have their swords strapped to their right hips so that when printed they will appear in the correct position on the left.

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