The Outline Etching
As its name suggests, a colored outline etching consists of two parts: on the one hand, the outline etching printed from a copper plate and, on the other, the coloring in watercolours applied by hand with a brush. The Bernese art critic Franz Sigmund Wagner called them "engravings of delicate outlines, completed with paints and the brush".
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vue du Village et du Lac de Brientz, after 1780, colored outline etching.
"Imitate as Much as Possible"
It was Johann Ludwig Aberli's aim to imitate watercolor pen and ink drawings with the help of coloured outline etchings. In order to achieve this effect, it was important that the lines of the outline etching did not appear "copperplate-like", i.e. straight, but rather "light" and "painterly". Etching was the appropriate printmaking technique for this.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vue de Nidau pres du Lac de Bienne, around 1780, colored outline etching.
The Technique of Etching
In 1643, the French engraver Abraham Bosse created a depiction showing an etcher (left) and an engraver (right) at work. Art lovers can be seen behind them looking at their work.
Abraham Bosse, Copper's studio, 1643, etching and engraving (© ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Graphische Sammlung).
"The Landscape is the True Object of the Etching Needle"
Let us now look at a landscape etching to understand the technique. The strokes that make up the landscape refer to those areas of the printing plate that the artist had exposed by scratching the etching ground.
Johann Georg Seiller after Felix Meyer, Prospect gegen dem Schloss Pfungen im Zürich Gebieth, from: Underschiedliche rare Prospecten von Gebürg und Wasserfällen in dem Schweizerland, around 1720, etching.
The Printing
When a copper plate was ready for printing, the artist placed it in the hands of a printer. He was responsible for producing the prints. It was a demanding task that required a wide range of skills.
Abraham Bosse, Copper Printer's Studio, 1642, etching (© ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Graphische Sammlung).
The Paper - Laid Paper
The small masters worked with two different types of paper: Ribbed paper (Papier vergé), preferably from the Honig & Zoonen manufactory in Zanndyk, Holland, and wove paper from the English paper manufacturer James Whatman.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vue du Village et du Lac de Brientz, after 1780, outline etching probably colored by Heinrich Rieter.
The Paper - Wove Paper
Wove paper came into fashion in the 1790s. Its name was derived from vellum, as it was a smooth, "parchment-like" paper.
Balthasar Anton Dunker after Sigmund Gottlieb Studer, Chaîne d'Alpes vue depuis les environs de Berne, 1788, colored outline etching by Heinrich Rieter.
The Coloring
After printing the outline etching, the coloring was applied. This basically took place in two steps. First, the shadows were applied with Chinese ink. Then came the application of the coloring, step by step and layer by layer, from the two-dimensional to the small-scale.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vûe du Chateau de Wimmis et des environs, 1783/84, outline etching colored by Heinrich Rieter.
"Terminés en couleur au lavis"
A second copy of the Vûe du Chateau de Wimmis et des environs by Johann Ludwig Aberli and Heinrich Rieter shows the steps of the coloration particularly well.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vûe du Chateau de Wimmis et des environs, 1783/84, outline etching colored by Heinrich Rieter.
Techniques de coloration
Comparer maintenant les deux exemplaires de la Vûte du Château de Wimmis pour découvrir la liberté artistique dans le coloriage.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vûte du Château de Wimmis et des environs, 1783/84, gravures au trait colorisées par Heinrich Rieter.
The Shades in Ink
The application of the ink was limited to the landscape. The sky was left blank. A fine example of such an inked sheet is Rapperschweil, au lac de Zurich by Heinrich Füssli the Youngest.
Heinrich Füssli the Youngest, Rapperschweil, au lac de Zurich, from: Merkwürdige Gegenden der Schweiz nach der Natur gezeichnet, 1799-1802, colored outline etching.
"Calculé sur la transparence des couleurs ..."
Analogue à l'ombrage à l'encre de Chine, l'application du coloriage se faisait par couches successives. Because of the transparency of watercolors, it was said that watercolor painting was "entirely calculated on the transparency of the colors and their parenté between them". Comme on peut le voir dans la comparaison des images, c'était au coloriste de décider comment cette interaction se produisait.
Gabriel Ludwig Lory, Chutes du Dorf et Alpbach à Meyringuen, extrait de : Recueil de paysages Suisses dessinés d'après nature, 1797/98, gravures au trait colorisées.
Origin and Preparation of the Colors
The production of a colored outline etching required a variety of materials: from the copper plate and printing ink to the etching needle and brush to paper, ink and paint. These materials could be bought in an unexpected place: in art shops.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vûe d'Yverdon, prise depuis Clindi, 1779, colored outline etching.
The Invention of Aberli Through the Ages
The successors of Johann Ludwig Aberli adopted his invention and adapted it to their needs. One of the most important changes was the replacement of shading in ink with the printmaking surface technique of aquatint. This made it possible to work more economically, as the shading no longer had to be applied by hand to each sheet, but was already included in the printed image.
Rudolf Bodmer after Johann Jakob Meyer, Alter Weg durch die Cardinell, from: Voyage pittoresque dans le canton des Grisons, 1827, colored aquatint.