c. 1760

Earth: Gardener Offering a Nosegay

Joseph Wagner studied with the painter Jacopo Amigoni and later worked as a printmaker, eventually opening his own publishing house in Venice. Wagner's technique combined etching and engraving-he would first etch the composition on the plate and then reinforce lines and make greater changes in tonality using engraving. He produced a number of reproductions of contemporary Venetian paintings and trained printmakers like Francesco Bartolozzi. Amigoni encouraged Wagner to take up printmaking, which proved to be a profitable enterprise for both.