Antique printing plate zinc Le Plaisir de l'Été 19th century France

This old printing plate comes from a new edition of the French classic Le Plaisir de l Été (The Pleasure of Summer) - a Copperplate engraving from 1744, after Jean-Baptiste Pater (1695 Valenciennes - Paris 1736). It is made of zinc and, after its last use, has been stored in an archive for many years, where it has acquired a strong patina.

Zinc plates were widely used in lithography, including early offset processes, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before aluminum became dominant. Zinc has a golden-yellow to brassy color, as noted in historical print descriptions. These plates were often used for high-quality prints because they were robust and easy to work with.