De l'esquisse au burin : quelques dessins de Laurent-Joseph Hart, graveur à Bruxelles [25 p., 13 pl.]

Author

Cécile Arnould

Abstract

The engraver Laurent-Joseph Hart (1810-1860) was one of the most prolific medallists in Belgium during the reign of Leopold Ist. His workshop, installed in the Saint-Hubertus Royal Gallery in Brussels, provided official medals and memorabilia to the Belgian Royal Family. By analysing unpublished documents (preparatory drafts, drawings, private and public archives), this study refines the current knowledge on the artist and his descendants. The article has been divided into three parts: first, a synthesis on the biographical elements available on Laurent-Joseph Hart; secondly, a complete description of forty preparatory drafts of Hart, preserved at the Print Room of the Royal Library of Belgium underlines the artist’s work and the medal’s development process; finally, the study of the archives of the Saint-Hubertus Royal Gallery describes history and atmosphere of the workshop at the Galleries, which eventually went out of business in 1974.

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