Un Corps de Garde, 1762, Per Gustav Floding; Artist: after François Boucher, French, 1703-1770, 12 13/16 x 9 3/8 in. (32.54 x 23.81 cm) (plate)15 1/2 x 10 3/16 in. (39.37 x 25.88 cm) (sheet), Engraving, etching and aquatint (lavis) in black ink, Sweden, 18th century, In the 18th century, France and Sweden were strong military allies, and upperclass Swedes adopted French artistic trends. Born in Stockholm, Per Gustav Floding was sent to Paris as a young man to learn the art of engraving. He remained there for most of his career but retained close ties to his homeland. King Adolf Frederick was so pleased with a portrait that Floding made of him that he gave the artist money to re-equip his studio. This led directly to Flodings invention of a new printmaking technique, lavis aquatint. The technique involved covering the copper printing plate with powdered resin, heating it to make it adhere, and then subjecting it to repeated acid baths while selectively applying protective coatings betw