The thin, sparsely pigmented ink used to print this fine, early impression contributes substantially to the gray tonality of the image. The unevenly dispersed pigment allows the white of the paper to show through the inked lines in some places, most noticeably in areas of shallowly engraved shading lines (see photo). The overall effect is similar to the appearance of drawings executed in silverpoint or pen and ink; from a distance, the modeling of the bodies is even slightly suggestive of wash. In this impression, the contours of the figures stand out against the relatively monochromatic, almost tapestry-like background.
