Portret van admiraal Armand Joseph Bruat 1854

This is a lithograph of Admiral Armand Joseph Bruat, created by Marie-Alexandre Alophe. Lithography, unlike painting or sculpture, is a printmaking process. An image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, and then treated so that only the drawn areas will hold ink. The print is then made by pressing paper against the inked surface. In this portrait, the lithographic technique allows for incredibly fine details, especially in the Admiral's uniform. Notice the texture of the fabric and the intricate details of the medals. This level of detail would have required a highly skilled artisan, as the quality of the print depends entirely on the hand of the artist. While lithography allowed for mass production of images, it still required a level of skill and artistry often overlooked. By focusing on the process, we can appreciate the lithograph not just as a reproduction, but as a crafted object in its own right. This challenges the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft, highlighting the labor and skill involved in creating even seemingly mass-produced images.