Spondylus dominicensis
published 1962
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching in olive green
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1964.8.1739.b
Art Historical Context
This etching, Spondylus dominicensis, created by Charles Arthur Wells, Jr. and published in 1962, showcases the artist's use of the etching medium in olive green ink. Etching, a printmaking technique developed during the Renaissance, involves coating a metal plate with a waxy ground, drawing the design with a needle, and then using acid to bite the lines into the plate. This process allows for exceptional detail and tonal variation, perfectly suited to rendering the complex textures of natural objects. The title refers to Spondylus dominicensis, a species of spiny oyster—a marine bivalve moll...