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Abstract
Drawing-like prints with soft-ground etching strictly depend on using paper to decal on top of a special tacky ground. In the traditional manner, the resulting sheet will host both a drawing and a transfer on opposite sides of the paper, recto and verso, respectively.
Considering that prints with the technique date back as early as the 17th century, papers with soft-ground transfers must have been produced throughout many generations of printmakers. However, catalogued examples are scarce and difficult to track among print collections. Used as intermediate surfaces, printmaking literature often regard these as collateral waste to the process. This apparent lack of relevance seems to be due to their processual role in etching-making.
Preserved soft-ground transfers can be identified from the late 19th century onwards, showing that artists have not always perceived them as disposable. The soft-ground transfers can be a key component to learning more about the creative processes of relevant printmakers, as well as of their workshop materials, such as papers, drawings instruments and etching grounds recipes. We propose a revised new study on soft-ground transfers to increase recognition of processual objects and their role in today’s practice of printmaking.
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