THE BLEED (along the x and y axes)

Because of the denser cross-hatching, each individual printing of the hyle plate is more variable than would be in a printing run of an ordinary etched plate. Some inkings of the copperplate retain more ink than others. Some pressings press harder than others. Furthermore, over hundreds of years, due to the density of ink retained by the plate, in various pressings, parts of the ink have flaked off, unevenly exposing areas of the substrate. These material variances don't normally manifest in etchings of cows, but with this particular hypertrophied copperplate, they do.

Below are various printings of the original plate. Along the edges of the etching (x and y axes), almost every printing bleeds differently.

To zoom in for a detailed comparative analysis, keep pressing [command and +] (on a mac) or [control and +] (on a pc). To return to the original scale, press [command and 0] (on a mac) or [control and 0] (on a pc).

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Herzog August Library, [Wolfenbüttel, Germany]

 

 

University Library Vienna

 

 

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