Réservage

a type of etching that was popular in the second half of the 19th century. The drawing is made directly on the smooth surface of the metal with special or ordinary ink or with gouache or india ink mixed with sugar. The plate is then covered with an acid-resistant ground and steeped in water. The ink, upon absorbing the moisture, lifts the ground particles. The ground is easily removed, and the metal is exposed. As a result of acid penetration, an engraving, reminiscent of a pen and ink sketch or a brush drawing, is obtained.