Portret van Baron Pergami - Jean Baptiste Ambroise Marcellin Jobard

A nineteenth-century lithographic portrait of Bartolomeo Pergami, rendered with precise hatching and a focus on character detail.

This lithographic portrait depicts Bartolomeo Pergami, a figure known for his association with Caroline of Brunswick. Jean Baptiste Ambroise Marcellin Jobard, a Belgian lithographer and inventor, captures the subject in a bust-length format. The work reflects the technical precision common in early nineteenth-century printmaking, where lithography allowed for a softer, more painterly rendering of features compared to traditional engraving methods.

The subject is presented with a direct gaze, his hair styled in the fashion of the period with sideburns and curls. The artist employs varied hatching to define the contours of the face and the texture of the clothing. The collar of the garment is rendered with lighter strokes, providing a contrast to the darker, more densely worked areas of the coat. The composition remains focused on the individual, omitting background details to ensure the viewer concentrates on the facial features and expression.

Below the portrait, the text identifies the subject as Pergami, alongside the publication details for the print, which was distributed by a bookseller in The Hague. This type of portrait was often produced for public circulation, serving as a visual record of figures involved in contemporary political or social affairs. The print demonstrates the role of lithography in disseminating likenesses during the early decades of the 1800s, providing an accessible medium for portraiture. The paper shows signs of age, consistent with its historical origin, and the ink remains clear, allowing for an examination of the artist's mark-making techniques. This piece offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the era, where printed portraits functioned as a primary means of documenting public figures for a wider audience.