The vertical female nude shows a sense of extreme stability, and the horizontal male is pulled down by the his own weight. This composition contrasts with the movement oriented Battle of the Ten Naked Men . The type of printing is a major factor that separates the two works even more. It is the printing technique that limits or opens the artist's possibilities for detail. Pollaiuolo's fine detail is due to the engraving process.
Engraving is a technique in which the artist draws grooves in a copper plate.
Ink is applied, falling in the V-shaped grooves. Pollaiuolo's mastery of engraving the human form is apparent in the subtle muscle shadows and in the facial expressions. Nuchims used a process known as etching, which limited the extent of possible detail. With etching, a layer of acid-resistant resin is applied to the surface and then an etching needle scratches into the resin down to the metal surface.