Sculpturen van het Kasteel van Versailles before 1894

This print by Bonnamy depicts sculptures from the Chateau de Versailles. Its lithographic technique reflects a shift towards mass production of imagery. Look closely, and you’ll notice the superimposition of red and blue layers, creating a stereoscopic effect. It’s a clever illusion, meant to simulate three-dimensionality, while actually being achieved through a flat, printed surface. Lithography enabled the relatively quick reproduction of images, making art more accessible, yet also somewhat distancing it from the original handmade object. This print represents a tension between the desire for accuracy and the realities of industrial production. The choice of subject – sculptures at Versailles – further underscores this tension, as the sculptures themselves were crafted through laborious, highly skilled processes. Bonnamy’s print invites us to consider the changing relationship between art, labor, and consumption in an age of increasing mechanical reproduction, making us question what we value: the uniqueness of the original or the accessibility of the copy.