Wensbrief met een herder die zijn schapen beschermt tegen een wolf 1822

This is a pen drawing by Leonardus Schweickhardt, presenting a "Wish Letter with a Shepherd Protecting His Sheep from a Wolf.” The drawing is structured around contrasting elements: above, decorative calligraphy and symbolic figures evoke a realm of idealized wishes, while below, a rustic scene unfolds. This division creates a tension between the ornate and the practical, the symbolic and the real. Flanking the text, classical figures stand atop marbled columns, framing the central poem with an air of timeless virtue. Below, the landscape introduces an element of raw nature, where the shepherd and his dog confront the wolf, embodying themes of protection and vigilance. The poem, rendered in elaborate script, serves as a bridge between these visual and thematic layers. The drawing employs these formal devices—contrast, symmetry, and allegory—to communicate complex ideas about virtue, protection, and the hopes embedded within the wish letter itself. These were clearly important aspects of the cultural and philosophical discourse of the period.