Portret van Olga Nikolajevna, grootvorstin van Rusland en koningin van Württemberg 1866

This is a stipple engraving made by Carl Mayer, depicting Olga Nikolajevna, the Grand Duchess of Russia and Queen of Württemberg. The process of stipple engraving involves using a variety of tools to create tiny dots on a metal plate, which, when printed, form an image. It's a labor-intensive process, requiring a high degree of skill to control the density and distribution of dots to create subtle tonal variations. The choice of stipple engraving for a royal portrait isn't accidental. It's about achieving a specific aesthetic – delicate, refined, and capable of capturing the subject's likeness with great precision. The texture created by the dots gives the image a soft, almost ethereal quality. In an era of growing industrialization, the hand-crafted nature of stipple engraving spoke to a different set of values, one that privileged artistry, skill, and the human touch. By paying attention to the materials, making, and context, we can understand the cultural significance of this artwork.