Portret van David Hendrik Chassé c. 1825 - 1827

This print of David Hendrik Chassé is of an unknown date, and was made by an anonymous artist. It is an exercise in mark-making. Lithography is a printmaking process using a flat stone or metal plate on which the image areas are worked using a greasy substance so that the ink will adhere to them, while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent. Look closely, and you'll see that the artist has built up the image dot by dot, to create the impression of a light falling on the sitter's face. The texture is almost velvety. It must have taken the lithographer many hours to produce this sensitive portrayal. Although we do not know the artist, the print gives us an insight into the social and political context of the sitter, who was a lieutenant general. Consider the amount of labor involved in his clothing, and what this tells us about the social hierarchy of the time. It’s a reminder that every artwork is the product of many hands.