The 14th of August 1837 saw the unveiling in Mainz of Thorvaldsen’s monument to the inventor of the art of printing, Johann Gutenberg (1390s-1468), (inv. nos. A114, A115 and A116). The statue, which in Thorvaldsen’s studio had been modelled in plaster and subsequently cast in bronze, can be seen in the niche on the left in Alois Senefelder’s memorial print. The poet and composer Heinrich von Meissen, also known as Frauenlob (c. 1260-1318) can be seen in the niche on the right. But the bust at the top of the memorial plate represents Alois Senefelder. And the immediate impression might be that it seems rather untraditional that a graphic artist should allocate himself such a prominent position. A possible explanation is that Alois Senefelder was also an inventor. It was he who in 1797-98 invented lithography – the graphic technique used in making this memorial plate. Lithos is the Greek word for stone. And a lithograph was traditionally printed after a drawing made in sandstone. When Senefelder was still a young student in 1792, his father died. The basis for his support had disappeared, and Senefelder tried to provide for himself partly by writing poems. He also wanted to publish his literary works himself. And it was in this connection that he invented lithography. As a technique for duplicating text and music, lithography only had a short life. But it continued to be a technique enjoying great popularity with artists.
ALOYS SENEFELDER / ERFINDER der Lithografie / Gedenkblatt / an die / Inauguration / des / Gutenberg-Denkmals / zu / Mainz / 13.-16. August 1837 / Gutenberg / Frauenlob
