Buste van een man met hoed (Anthonie Willem Hendrik Nolthenius de Man) - L.A. Hekman

A detailed nineteenth-century lithographic portrait of Anthonie Willem Hendrik Nolthenius de Man in military uniform.

This lithographic portrait depicts Anthonie Willem Hendrik Nolthenius de Man, a figure of the nineteenth-century Dutch military establishment. The work is executed with the technical precision characteristic of mid-century lithography, employing a range of tonal values to define the subject's features and the textures of his uniform. The artist, L.A. Hekman, focuses on the bust-length composition, allowing the viewer to observe the specific details of the military attire, including the epaulettes and the medals pinned to the chest. The portrait captures the subject in a formal, composed manner. The shading around the collar and the folds of the fabric demonstrate a command of the lithographic medium, where the artist uses varying pressure to create depth. The background remains minimal, ensuring that the attention stays on the sitter. The inclusion of the subject's signature at the base of the print suggests this was likely intended for circulation as a formal record or a commemorative image. Lithography was a common method for reproducing portraits during this period, providing a way to disseminate likenesses of public figures with greater speed than traditional engraving. The print shows the typical vignetting effect often seen in such works, where the edges of the figure fade into the paper. This piece offers a clear look at the sartorial standards and the visual language of authority in the Netherlands during the era. It serves as a document of personal history, preserved through the mechanical reproduction of a hand-drawn original.