Orlando in gevecht met de Orka van Ebuda

About this artwork

Vierde prent afkomstig uit een serie met twaalf scènes die 'Orlando Furioso' van Ludovico Ariosto illustreren. De twaalf scènes werden samen op een plaat geëtst. De serie is gebruikt als illustratie in: 'Almanac Généalogique pour l'an 1772'.

Art Historical Context

**Orlando in gevecht met de Orka Ebuda** (Orlando Fighting the Orc of Eb), a delicate etching by Daniel Nikolausodowiecki from 1771, captures dramatic moment from Ludovico Ariosto's Renaissance poem *Orlando Furioso This chivalric romance, published in 1516, follows the knight Orlando's mad quest for love amid fantastical battles. Here, Chodowiecki depicts the hero's fierce clash with the monstrous Orc of Ebuda—a sea beast terrorizing island captives—highlighting themes of heroism and peril that captivated 18th-century audiences. The fourth in a series of twelve etched scenes, all composed on a single plate, this tiny work (95mm × 57mm) showcases Chodowiecki's mastery of etching. A Prussian artist renowned for his intricate book illustrations in the Rococo style, he used the medium's fine lines and tonal depth to pack narrative intensity into miniature format, making it ideal for popular prints. These illustrations graced the *Almanac Généalogique pour l'an 1772*, blending high literature with everyday ephemera. Chodowiecki's series democratized Ariosto's tales, bridging elite culture and mass appeal during the Enlightenment, when such vivid etchings fueled a craze for romantic adventures in art and print.

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...