This print, as well as several of Matisse’s small etchings, stand out in the center of large sheets of paper because they were printed on chine collé (glued tissue). For this technique, Matisse coated the back of a very thin piece of papier de Chine (China paper) with paste and placed the paper between an inked printing plate and a larger, thicker sheet of paper. When he passed the layers through the printing press, the thin paper would simultaneously receive ink from the plate and bond to the thicker one. Matisse likely favored this method because the delicate lines of his etchings stood out more strongly on the smooth surface of papier de Chine. The warm tone of the thin paper also isolates the image against the brightness of the background paper.