Copper plate

This article deals with the image carrier in painting. See also copper plate , image carrier of the copper engraving or copper plate (inscription) , inscription carrier z. E.g .: at Laguna copper plate inscription .

Even before they were occasionally used as image carriers in European panel painting, copper panels were also used as printing plates (copper engraving), as this example shows.

When copper plates are called the image carrier usually smaller on copper plates painted images. They suddenly appear in Italy, the Netherlands and Germany in the second half of the 16th century, without it being possible to determine exactly where their origin lies. It is also not known why this picture carrier was suddenly used, although it was more expensive than wood ( wooden panel painting ) and canvas ( canvas painting ), and why it only lasted - in isolated cases - into the 18th century.

Manufacturing

The older copper plate on the left was driven with a hammer, the younger one on the right was rolled.

Copper plates were cut by hand until the late 16th century. Only later was it possible to roll copper plates . How a copper plate was made can be determined by examining the back of the painting: Driven plates have a slightly uneven surface with impact marks, while rolled copper plates are relatively smooth and even. Older copper plates are usually thicker than younger ones in relation to their size.

Labelling

Some copper plates have punch marks on the back, which identify them as made and painted in Antwerp.

Some of the copper panels have punch marks on the back, similar to the punch marks and brand marks of Antwerp wooden panel pictures, which identify them as made and painted there. In addition to the hand from the Antwerp city coat of arms, as a sign that the board was removed by a master inspector and found to be good, one can also find the house brand of a few Antwerp coppersmiths such B. Peter Stas and more rarely the name of the artist on the back.

Paint layer

The paint layer on copper panels from the 16th / 17th centuries and the 18th century shows different forms of craqulé . While up to the 17th century, cracks in age of extreme fineness often only visible with a magnifying glass / stereo microscope can be seen, the paint layer on copper panels from the 18th century often shows pronounced early shrinkage cracks .

literature

• Theodor von Frimmel: Painting studies. Leipzig 1920
• Knut Nicolaus: DuMont's handbook of painting . DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 2003, ISBN 3-8321-7288-2

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Knut Nicolaus: DuMont's-Bildlexikon zur Gemäldebestetermination . DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 1982, ISBN 3-7701-1243-1 , p. 126 .