Portret van Paulus Potter c. 1826 - 1852

Nicolas Maurin created this print, "Portret van Paulus Potter," using lithography. The portrait's composition is immediately striking, focusing our attention on Potter's face and hair. Maurin employs a subtle tonal range to capture the texture of Potter's hair and the soft contours of his face, while the rendering of the sitter is achieved through delicate lines and gradations of light and shadow. This is particularly evident in the way Maurin defines the hair, where each strand seems to be meticulously rendered. Lithography allowed for a certain fluidity and softness in the rendering, which Maurin exploits to full effect. The formal qualities of this portrait—the balance of light and shadow, the careful attention to texture, and the overall composition—invite us to contemplate the sitter's persona and the artistic techniques used to convey it. The semiotic density invites ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.