Portret van marine-officier Luc Urbain du Bouëxic de Guichen 1837

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have a lithograph from 1837 entitled "Portret van marine-officier Luc Urbain du Bouëxic de Guichen," made by Antoine Maurin. Editor: It strikes me as intensely formal, wouldn't you say? That resolute gaze and the rigid pose almost convey an air of detachment, even loneliness. Curator: That's fitting, given the neo-classical aesthetic. Observe how the details of his naval uniform – the meticulously rendered epaulettes and sash – speak volumes about status. The image is really crystallizing ideals of duty and hierarchy in 19th century. Editor: But even in this highly stylized image, can we still feel something of the person, of du Bouëxic? It's intriguing how a lithograph, a relatively mass-produced print, is being used to portray someone of elite standing. Consider the implications of reproducibility here, even in 1837. Curator: Absolutely. Lithography allowed for broader dissemination of images, but it also preserved the established social order. Du Bouëxic’s image became a symbol, reproduced to project authority and prestige within the larger cultural context of a changing France. It’s not simply a portrait; it is also the symbol of the French naval prowess. Editor: It raises so many questions. What was Maurin's relationship to his subject? How much creative license did he really have within the conventions of portraiture, and within the demands of a new method of production? Curator: We may not know the exact answers, but by studying Maurin’s lithograph and the symbols of du Bouëxic's status, we gain insights into both the artistic processes and the values that this artwork encoded for its contemporary viewers. Editor: And for us, standing here today, it serves as a tangible, accessible link to an age of revolutionary innovation in image production, while perpetuating old guard conventions. It’s fascinating, the intersection.