Landscapes and still lifes were Morandi's two main subjects in both his print production and his painted oeuvre. Morandi often treated the same subject in both media, easily crossing between painting and etching. The present etching for example is very closely related to the painting Natura Morta from 1929-30 (Vitali, Catalogo Generale, No. 152) showing the same arrangement of the various vessels, bottles, boxes and pitchers. By limiting his means in printmaking to the production of black and white etchings, he committed himself to a tradition of intaglio print-making going as far back as the earliest Italian printmakers. This limitation to black and white allows Morandi to explore fully the complex fascination of light and shadow.