Hollandse schipper buigt voor Karel de Grote 1793

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this print titled 'Hollandse schipper buigt voor Karel de Grote' -- 'Dutch Skipper Bows to Charlemagne' -- at an unknown date. Here, we see the legendary founder of the Holy Roman Empire, a figure much mythologized in the late eighteenth century. The image is an etching, a popular medium in late eighteenth-century Europe that was used to illustrate printed books. Chodowiecki was a master of this technique, and he was employed by many publishers to create images for their books. This particular image is interesting because it depicts Charlemagne in a way that is both respectful and slightly satirical. The Dutch skipper is bowing to Charlemagne, but he is also wearing a rather ridiculous hat. What did the artist mean by this? The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has many resources available, like detailed provenances and auction records, that we can use to reconstruct the social context surrounding this artwork. These give art historians a better understanding of its cultural significance.