Portret van Bernard de Jussieu 1799 - 1831

Editor: This is "Portret van Bernard de Jussieu," made between 1799 and 1831 by Charles Aimé Forestier. It’s a print, an engraving on paper, depicting a man in an oval frame. The Neoclassical style is very evident. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: What strikes me is the means of production here. Engraving was a highly skilled craft, requiring intense labor and specialized tools. Consider the socio-economic implications: who had access to this craft, who commissioned such prints, and who consumed them? Editor: So you’re focusing on the how rather than the who is depicted? Curator: Precisely. The portrait itself serves as a form of commodity. How does its material existence, as a mass-produced print, affect its meaning compared to a unique painted portrait of the same figure? It democratizes the image, but also cheapens it. Who now has access? What are they using this image for? What social and class structures does this reinforce, disrupt or question? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it like that. It's interesting to consider the printmaking process itself as a factor in how we understand the portrait and its place in society. Curator: Think about the engraver too. They weren't merely copying an image; they were interpreting and translating it through their own technical skill and artistic sensibility. Their labor is embedded within the final product, and this labour, how they produce, influences what and how it signifies. Editor: This makes me consider all prints in a new way now, seeing beyond just the image. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. Understanding the materiality unlocks so much hidden information about art and its role within cultural and economic systems.