Frederik II vertelt zijn neef dat hij hem als zoon beschouwd
Medium
etching
Dimensions
124; 62
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Art Historical Context
Daniel Nikolaus Chodowie, a prolific Prussian etcher and painter of the late Rococo era, captures a poignant moment of royal mentorship in this 1788 etching titled *derik II vertelt zijnef dat hij hem als beschouwd* ("Frederick II tells his nephew he considers him as a"). Measuring just 124mm by 62mm, this intimate print exemplifies Chodowiecki's mastery of small-scale narrative scenes, often drawn from history literature to educate and moralize for Enlightenment audiences in Berlin. The scene depicts Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia, r. 1740–1786), who had no surviving children, ...
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...