2023Ancient Crafts, Engravers - First Day Cover

The Dictionary of the Noble Arts by the writer and academic Diego Rejón de Silva, printed in 1788, defines “engraving” as “drawing on a copper or wooden plate a figure or composition with the tip of a burin, to later make many copies of she". This definition summarizes the qualities of engraving. On the one hand, the action of impacting a support with sharp instruments to create an image that can be transferred to paper, by inking and pressing said support. On the other hand, the possibility of repeating the printing numerous times, so that multiplicity is the genuine characteristic of the engraving, which favored its dissemination and the democratization of the image.