Wood engraving is an ancient technique of Chinese origin, apparently having its beginnings in the 2nd century, where the craftsman engraves the image he intends to reproduce on wood, using it as a matrix and enabling the reproduction of several identical images on paper or other adequate support.
Etymologically, xylon means wood; Wood engraving would then be a print on any support, using engraved wood as the matrix.
This process is very similar to stamping.
In wood engraving, wood is carved with the help of a cutting instrument, forming the figure or shape (matrix) that is intended to be printed. Then, with a rubber roller soaked in paint, only the raised parts of the notch are touched.
Woodcuts have been known since the 6th century and became popular in the West during the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, two innovations revolutionized wood engraving, the arrival in Europe of colorful Japanese engravings, which had a great influence on the arts of the 19th century, and the top engraving technique created by Thomas Bewick.
