Sun Reflecting on the Dew, A Garden Scene
c. 1812
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 10.1 × 13.1 cm (4 × 5 3/16 in.); Plate: 14.3 × 17 cm (5 11/16 × 6 3/4 in.); Sheet: 23.3 × 34.9 cm (9 3/16 × 13 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149498
Art Historical Context
"Sun Reflecting on the, A Garden Scene" a delicate etching by William Birch, created around 1812. Birch, an English engraver miniaturist who spent much of his career in America, was renowned for his precise topographical views and innovative printmaking. This small-scale work (image measuring just 10.1 × 13.1 cm) captures a serene garden bathed in morning light, with the sun's rays sparkling on dew-kissed foliage—a poetic nod to nature's fleeting beauty. Etching, Birch's chosen medium, involves drawing lines into a metal plate with acid-resistant ground, then immersing it in acid to etch the ...