Medaille met portret van Jean Reynaud after 1838

Achille Collas made this print of a portrait medal of Jean Reynaud, using a mechanical engraving process called taille-douce anaglyptique. Collas wasn't just an artist, but also an inventor, and this technique epitomizes the fusion of art and industrial production in the 19th century. It was a method of taking a three-dimensional object – in this case, a portrait medal – and translating it into a highly precise two-dimensional image. The process involved using a specialized machine to trace the contours of the medal, which were then transferred onto a printing plate. The result is this amazing level of detail, almost photographic in its accuracy. What's fascinating is the sheer labor and precision involved. Each line would have been meticulously incised, demanding incredible skill. This print is not just a portrait; it's also a document of a particular moment in the history of reproductive technologies, where art and industry became deeply intertwined, reflecting broader shifts in labor, production, and consumption during the Industrial Revolution.