1
Observation Before Collection
A single specimen drawn from life yields more truth than three pressed from haste.
2
Pigment Fidelity to Source
Sap green and copper verdigris record what the eye perceives, unmediated by modern print.
3
Lines That Outlast Empires
Engravings from 1542 still yield legible impressions four centuries after their cutting.
4
Provenance in Every Mark
Foxing, fiber, and hand-applied wash each carry a record the binomial cannot hold.