Zes voorstellingen uit Sternes empfindsame Reise
Medium
etching
Dimensions
120; 407
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
De prenten zijn rechtsboven genummerd. Met onderschrift in het Duits.
Art Historical Context
Daniel Nikolaus Chodowie, a prolific Polish-German engraver and active in 18th-century Berlin, created *Zes voorstellingen uites empfindsame Reise in 1783. This etching captures six sequential scenes from Laurence Sterne's beloved novel *A Sentimental Journey France and Italy* (known in German as *Empfind Reise*), a cornerstone of sentimental literature that emphasized emotion, empathy, and human connection over travelogues. Chodowiecki, renowned for his delicate Rococo-influenced illustrations of moral tales and novels, brought Sterne's poignant vignettes to life in a compact horizontal format (120mm high × 407mm wide), ideal for book embellishment or collector's albums. The prints are numbered sequentially in the top right corner and accompanied by German captions, reflecting the artwork's origins in the German-speaking Enlightenment circles where Sterne's work was immensely popular. Chodwiecki's etching technique—using acid to incise fine lines into a metal plate—allowed for intricate details and tonal subtlety, making high-quality reproductions accessible to a wide audience. This series exemplifies his mastery in translating literary sentiment into visual narrative, blending humor, pathos, and everyday humanity. As a cultural artifact, it highlights the era's fascination with "sensibility," bridging literature and visual art while showcasing etching's role in democratizing imagery during the pre-Romantic period. A charming window into 18th-century tastes!
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...