Portret van Sophie van Württemberg c. 1839 - 1840

This is N.M. Schild’s ‘Portret van Sophie van Württemberg’, a lithograph now held at the Rijksmuseum. The artwork is a study in tonal gradations, from the delicate shading of Sophie's face to the more pronounced darks defining her hair and dress. The artist has used line and texture to great effect, creating a sense of depth and volume within the monochromatic palette. Note how the formal composition draws your eye to the sitter’s face. Her gaze is directed slightly off-center, a technique that infuses the portrait with a sense of dynamic presence. The slight asymmetry destabilizes traditional portrait conventions, inviting a more nuanced reading of the subject's character. The lithographic technique lends itself to both precision and subtlety. The artist expertly balances detail with broader, more gestural marks, enhancing the interplay between light and shadow. It’s an aesthetic choice, but also one that resonates with the shifting grounds of representation in an age of emergent photographic technologies.