stipple engraving

Method of engraving in which a grainy effect is produced by a series of tiny dots or flecks. The dots can be made on the etching ground by an etching needle or a ‘roulette’, an instrument with a finely-toothed wheel or cylinder. These dots are often used in conjunction with etched or engraved lines. In wood engraving a small chisel can be used to create the dots.

The first practitioner of stipple engraving was Johann Lutma, a 17th-century German silversmith, several of whose plates are extant. Notable French engravers in stipple were Jean François of Nancy (born 1717), Louis Bonnet (born 1743), and Gilles Demarteau (born 1772). The first English stipple engraver was William Wynne Ryland (1732–1783) who, after completing his training in Paris, became engraver to King George III.