Mezzotint
The technique was much used in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries for the reproduction of paintings
A form of engraving; A texture that is incised into a soft metal such as copper using a hand tool that is rocked back and forth across the entire plate surface, to create a fine tooth that holds ink. The image is scrapped and burnished into being and the ink holding areas create a dense velvety black.