CALCOGRAPHY
The term is formed from the Greek words χαλκός (copper) and γράψω (I write), and properly denotes the technique of intaglio engraving on copper. From the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century, this technique was widely used for book decoration, especially in title pages, until the rise of etching and the simplification of typographic ornamentation gradually led to its disappearance.
The term has also come to denote both the workshops where copper is subjected to the chemical processes necessary to produce engravings and the collections of original plates. Among the latter, the "Roman Cameral Engraving" (*c. camerale romana*) achieved great fame; it was founded in 1740 by Pope Clement XII following the acquisition of the De Rossi family’s plates, which also included those of A. Lafrery. After 1870, it passed into the hands of the Italian state and was renamed the "Royal Engraving" (*c. reale*). Today it holds approximately 20,000 engravings.
In modern typographic technique, some designate the process commonly known as "rotary gravure" (*rotacolo*) (Ger. *Tiefdruck*) as "engraving" (*c. rotativa*). This method is widely used for illustrations outside the text and for certain types of illustrated newspapers. The process involves transferring the design, using a special sensitized paper, onto a copper cylinder, which is then engraved; the cylinder subsequently prints the image onto paper, much like a common rotary press.
For engraving in art, see *incisione*.