Le Chevalier Dupetit-Thouars
1822
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
34.3 × 25.4 cm (13 9/16 × 10 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
41082
Art Historical Context
Created in 1822, Jules Boilly’s lithograph *Le Chevalier Dupetit-Thouars* captures the likeness of its subject with the crisp precision and subtle tonal gradations characteristic of early nineteenth-century printmaking. Measuring just over 13 by 10 inches, the work is printed in black on smooth white wove paper, a support that highlights the medium’s ability to render fine detail and delicate shading. Lithography, still a relatively new technique at the time, allowed artists to draw directly on stone, offering greater spontaneity than engraving while remaining well suited to reproduction. Boi...