Portrait of Louis XVIII
Medium
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 28.3 × 24.5 cm (11 3/16 × 9 11/16 in.); Sheet: 33.9 × 25.8 cm (13 3/8 × 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
39480
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This striking lithograph by Pierre Nolasque Bergeret captures King Louis XVIII in 181, just one year after the Bourbon restoration following Napoleon’s defeat. As a formal portrait of the monarch who returned to the French throne, the work reflects the political climate of post-revolutionary France, where traditional royal imagery was reasserted to legitimize the new regime. Bergeret, an early pioneer of lithography, used this emerging medium to create an accessible yet dignified image of the king for a broader audience. The choice of lithography is particularly significant. Invented only two...