Portret van Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

This intimate etching, created in 1815 by Ludwig Emil Grimm, captures a portrait of his elder brother Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm. Measuring just 103 by 80 millimeters, the small scale suggests it may have been intended as a personal keepsake or for inclusion in printed volumes. Etching, with its capacity for fine, expressive lines, was a favored medium among early 19th-century European artists for reproducing nuanced likenesses that could reach wider audiences through printmaking. The work holds particular historical resonance as it depicts Jacob during the formative years when he and his brother Wilhelm were gathering the folktales that would become their renowned collections. Ludwig Emil, himself an accomplished draftsman and printmaker, often turned his talents toward family subjects, lending the portrait an air of quiet familiarity amid the broader cultural shifts of post-Napoleonic Germany. A collector’s stamp on the verso (Lugt 2228) further attests to the print’s journey through distinguished hands, underscoring its enduring appeal to those interested in both artistic technique and the lives of the Brothers Grimm.

About the Artist

Ludwig Emil Grimm · 1790–1863

Comment on works: engraver