Portret van Christian Gottfried Körner 1822 - 1863

This is a portrait of Christian Gottfried Körner, made by Lazarus Gottlieb Sichling, sometime in the mid-19th century. It's an engraving, a printmaking technique that demands precision and patience. The image is created by meticulously cutting lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. Notice the fineness of the lines, creating subtle gradations of light and shadow. This wasn't just a matter of technical skill; it was a labor-intensive process, reflecting the values of craft production, before industrialization fully took hold. Engraving like this was often used for reproduction. This image may have circulated widely, making Körner's likeness accessible to a broad audience, and in this sense the print participates in a culture of commerce. The making process – time-consuming, painstaking, yet also capable of mass distribution – is essential to understanding the work's place in society. It speaks to the democratizing potential of printmaking, but also to the skilled labor required to produce such images.