Portret van Marie Louise van Oostenrijk, keizerin der Fransen 1810 - 1825

Friedrich Wilhelm Bollinger made this portrait of Marie Louise of Austria on paper, using a technique called stipple engraving. In this painstaking method, the artist would have used a special tool to create thousands of tiny dots on a copper plate. When printed, these dots create the illusion of shading and form. Notice the subtle gradations of tone, achieved entirely through the density of these marks. The appeal of stipple engraving lay in its capacity for mass production, as it allowed for prints to be made in large quantities. This was crucial in a time when printed images were becoming increasingly popular and accessible. The labor-intensive nature of stipple engraving also highlights the role of skilled craftsmanship in the creation of what we might consider commercial art. Ultimately, this portrait invites us to consider the relationship between artistic skill, mechanical reproduction, and the democratizing potential of printmaking during this period.