Twee scènes uit Minna von Barnhelm
Medium
etching
Dimensions
99; 118
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Art Historical Context
Daniel Nikolaus Chodowie, a prolific Polish-German artist of the Enlightenment era, created *Twee scènes uit Min von Barnhelm* in 1769 as a delicate etching measuring just 99 × 118 mm. This print captures two pivotal scenes from Gotthold Ephraim Lessing groundbreaking play *Minna von Barnhelm premiered in 1767. Lessing's comedy explored themes of love, honor, and reconciliation in post-Seven Years' War Prussia, reflecting Germany's social healing and emerging middle-class values. Chodowiecki, renowned for his vivid literary illustrations, brought these moments to life with his signature Rococo...
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...