Portret van August Adolph Leopold, Graf von Lehndorff 1779 - 1836

Editor: Here we have a print, an engraving on paper, titled "Portret van August Adolph Leopold, Graf von Lehndorff" made sometime between 1779 and 1836, attributed to Johann Friedrich Bolt. The level of detail achieved with what seems like very fine lines is remarkable! What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: Well, it’s crucial to examine the means of its production, isn’t it? This wasn't some solitary artistic endeavor. Consider the labour involved in creating this engraving. The engraver's skill transforms the design onto a copper plate, and the matrix enables potentially thousands of prints to be made. These prints then circulate widely, influencing fashion, and spreading ideas. The choice of materials is deliberate, with paper and ink readily available, this facilitates its distribution to a broad audience. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't fully considered. How does that relate to the sitter's social context? Curator: Think about it. Lehndorff, a count, is represented via this reproductive technology. Engravings such as these are essentially commodities that speak volumes about the social and economic hierarchies of the time, where access to portraiture and even knowledge itself was increasingly mediated through print. It shifts our perception of aristocratic identity! Is it true representation, or mass-produced imitation? Editor: So, the print becomes almost a brand extension of the Count? That’s quite insightful! Thanks, I will certainly ponder that. Curator: Remember, examining the "how" often tells us just as much as the "what" when we are dealing with artworks like this. Always think of material, labor and consumption.