Caption:
Léon Vidal, Portrait de Anne de Montmorency, paper, photochrome print, image size: height: 32 cm; width: 25 cm, inscribed: recto: printed above the photograph: Musee National Du Louvre Galerie D'Apollon; below the photograph: Photochromie du Moniteur; Procédé Léon Vidal B.ième S.G.D.G.; 15 Quai Voltaire. Paris; Portrait de Anne de Montmorency; verso with pencil: P2013.219.5, handicrafts, decorative arts, industrial design, portrait, work of applied arts, work of applied arts (metals), The magnificent Apollo Gallery in the Louvre in Paris holds some of the most precious art objects of the Grande Nation, in addition to the French crown jewels. For the publication Le Trésor Artistique de la France, published from 1878, photographer Léon Vidal photographed the exquisite treasures. The printing process also relies on the expertise of the trained engineer. The photochromic technique developed by Vidal, a process first presented in 1872, makes it possible to transfer the colors of the collection pieces into a high-quality reproduction. Similar to chromolithography, three layers are printed separately on top of each other in strong, translucent colors. Vidal uses a photomechanical image as a basis, which contributes the deep black tones to the colored image result; the final layer is a fine layer of varnish. The glossy images not only convey the radiance of the art objects, but the elaborate copies, which were produced at great expense, are themselves masterpieces today. (Annika Sellmann)