"Etching On Silvered Copper"
Frame with etching on silver-plated copper. Decor of a genre scene signed B. (Bernard) WICKER titled "THE CARDS GAME". 1880-1900. Etching is a process of engraving a varnished copper plate. The parts from which the varnish has been removed by scraping by the artist are attacked with nitric acid, producing a contrast of solids and hollows - the varnished parts remaining unscathed by the acid's attacks. The engraved plate is then classically silvered by electrolysis in the 19th century. Arturo Ricci, who inspired this work, is an Italian painter (1854 - 1919), known for his genre scenes. 
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