Details and matter in the critical reception of the photographic reproductions by Edmond Fierlants (1819-1869) of artworks by the Flemish primitives

International audienceAs soon as it emerged, the medium of photography seemed to be endowed with great potential for reproducing artworks. The study of the critical reception of these images – based upon the large corpus of texts on nineteenth-century photographic art reproductions – reveals the specific stakes related to photography in the field of art reproduction. Until the advent of photography that task had been reserved for engraving, which long retained dominance in the field. The present article highlights the expectations raised by the emergence of the new medium of photography. It reveals the ideas that motivated the use of photographic images rather than engravings in the study of the visual arts.By focusing on the critical reception of Edmond Fierlants' (1819-1869) photographic reproductions in the 1850s and 1860s, this article throws new light on the advantages that enabled photography to meet the requirements of a project to reproduce the young Belgian nation’s cultural heritage – in particular paintings by the Flemish 'Primitives'. Focusing on the notion of detail in popular and academic reception of these images reveals both why photography emerged as the preferred medium, and, in turn, how this choice influenced the reception of the works of Flemish Primitives during the nineteenth century. It also unveils the dynamic interplay at work between photography, the recently founded Belgian nation, and the art of the Flemish primitives, which crystallized around the notion of detail