Karel van Lotharingen in gesprek met Michel de l'Hopital

About this artwork

Rechtsboven genummerd: 5. Met onderschrift en paginaverwijzing in het Duits.

Art Historical Context

**Karel van Lotharingen gesprek met Michel de lopital** * Nikolaus Chodowie, 1790* *Etching, 100 × 59 mm* Daniel Nikolaus Chodowie, a prolific Polish-German artist and director of the Berlin of Arts, captures a pivotal historical moment in this intimate etching. The title depicts Charles of Lorraine (likely Charles II Duke of Lorraine, 1543–1608) in with Michel de l'Hôpital (1507–1573), the French chancellor renowned for his efforts toward religious tolerance amid the Wars of Religion. Created in 1790, this small-scale print—numbered "5" in the upper right with a German caption and page reference—forms part of a larger illustrated series, typical of Chodowiecki's work for books and moralistic publications. Etching, Chodowiecki's favored medium, allowed for exquisite detail and reproducibility, making high art accessible through printed volumes across Europe. His Rococo-influenced style, blending narrative clarity with expressive gestures, brings historical figures to life in a conversational intimacy, reflecting Enlightenment interests in diplomacy and humanism. At just 10 cm tall, this gem highlights how 18th-century printmaking democratized culture, inviting viewers to ponder timeless dialogues on peace and governance. Discover more in our prints gallery, where Chodowiecki's vignettes bridge history and everyday insight! (178 words)

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...