Dwaasheid van het vertrouwen op almanakken

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

**Dwaasheid van het op almanakken (The Folly of Trusting Alman)** Created in 1782 by Danielus Chodowiecki, a prolific Polish-German artist and engraver, this etching captures the spirit of 18th-century satire. Chodowie, who served as director of the Academy of Arts, was renowned for his intricate illustrations commenting on everyday follies and social vices. The Dutch title suggests a witty critique of blind faith in almanacs—those popular periodicals promising weather forecasts, astrological predictions, and life advice—highlighting Enlightenment-era tensions between superstition and reaso...

About the Artist

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki · 1726–1801

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki (1726–1801) was a German painter and printmaker of Polish-Huguenot descent who became the most celebrated graphic artist in 18th-century Germany. Born in Danzig (now Gdańsk), he created approximately 2,000 etchings that serve as an invaluable visual record of German bourgeois life during the Enlightenment. Largely self-taught, Chodowiecki moved to Berlin in 1743 and ach...