Hoofd van een oude man met muts en lans

About this artwork

height 358 mm x width 270 mm

Art Historical Context

**Hoofd van een oude met muts en lansHead of an Old Man Cap and Lance)** Created in 1828 by French Nicolas Toussaint Char (1792–1845), this evocative lithography portrays the close-up visage of an elderly man wearing a simple cap and holding a lance. Charlet, a celebrated lithographer and painter, often captured the faces of everyday people, infusing his works with humanity and subtle emotion. The subject's rugged features and stoic gaze suggest a life of hardship, perhaps hinting at a veteran or laborer from post-Napoleonic France. Lithography, the medium here, was a groundbreaking 19th-century technique that allowed artists to draw directly on stone for rich, tonal prints—ideal for Charlet's expressive style. At 358 × 270 mm, this intimate sheet exemplifies how the process enabled affordable reproduction, bringing detailed portraiture to wider audiences during the Romantic era's focus on individual character. Charlet's affinity for military and folk subjects adds depth; his prints often honored the unsung heroes of France's turbulent history. This work invites museum visitors to ponder the quiet resilience etched in every line, a testament to lithography's power to preserve human stories.

About the Artist

Nicolas Toussaint Charlet · 1792–1845

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