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| Albrecht Altdorfer Mucius Scaevola thrusting his Hand into the Flames before 1538 engraving Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Giulio Bonasone Men and Women Bathing 1566 engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Philips Galle after Maarten van Heemskerck The Colossus of Rhodes 1572 engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Philips Galle after Maarten van Heemskerck The Colossus of Rhodes 1572 hand-colored engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
"Until the technological revolution in printing of the nineteenth century, color was added to illustrations by hand. The outline of the design was printed in black using an engraved copper or other metal plate and watercolor was used to add color. Depending on the skill of the artist, the result could range from a crude wash of color to a delicately shaded work of art. Hand coloring was particularly popular for natural history and botanical illustration because the limitless range of paint colors allowed for the accurate representation of plants and animals. Even after color printing was technologically feasible, the highest quality books continued to be hand done until the middle of the nineteenth century. The disadvantages of this system are readily apparent – to produce high quality illustrations took time and skill. Very few copies of books could be made, resulting in a very high per book cost and very limited sales. Attempts were made to simplify the painting process using stencils and cheap labor (primarily women and children), but quality suffered."
– Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
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| Philips Galle after Maarten van Heemskerck Colossal Statue of Zeus at Olympia 1572 hand-colored engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Philips Galle after Maarten van Heemskerck Semiramis outside the Walls of Babylon 1572 hand-colored engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Jan Sadeler the Elder after Maerten de Vos Jupiter with the Arms of Alessandro Farnese 1585 hand-colored engraving Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Jean Leclerc after Carlo Saraceni Rest on the Flight into Egypt before 1633 etching Yale University Art Gallery |
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| Bernard Picart Achilles dragging the body of Hector behind his chariot 1719 etching Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| workshop of Bernard Picart Cassandra prophesying the Fall of Troy and mocked by a crowd 1731 etching Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Philippe-Louis Parizeau Study Heads from Cahier de Principes du Dessein ca. 1780 etching Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Philippe-Louis Parizeau Study Heads from Cahier de Principes du Dessein ca. 1780 etching Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Edwin Long Henry Irving as Hamlet 1880 etching Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth |
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| Louis Anquetin Pan with Pipes 1898 lithograph National Gallery of Art, Washington DC |
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| Cornelia Parker Meteorite Lands on the Houses of Parliament 1998 printed map of London with burn mark Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport, Merseyside |