Vignet til H. Niemeyer "Bibelske Charakteristik" 1742 - 1809

Curator: Let's turn our attention now to a print held here at the SMK, created by Johann Gottlieb Friedrich, sometime between 1742 and 1809. It's titled "Vignet til H. Niemeyer 'Bibelske Charakteristik,'" rendered as an engraving. Editor: Oh, that's fascinating. The moment I see it, I’m getting a solemn, theatrical vibe—a kind of grand stage in miniature. What is that seated figure with the radiant crown all about? Curator: That is an allegorical figure, representing a quality or concept—here, quite likely related to biblical character as the title suggests. It’s quite characteristic of Baroque sensibilities, blending religious and historical painting within a symbolic framework. Editor: And who's the character in the rather skimpy toga offering smoke to...well, who knows what that object is? Almost seems as if he's trying to communicate through gestures more than anything else. He has an odd demeanor, it feels like there’s something very relevant to the scene being left unsaid. Curator: He seems to be performing a religious act. What Friedrich is trying to achieve in this piece, as I see it, is to evoke this sense of established values in the late 1700s in the historical and biblical scene. He seems keen to blend the old narrative into a newly developed social consciousness. Editor: Right! Now the overall setting seems deliberate, too. A theatrical sky and an ancient offering stone. Even the text chiseled on her platform – are they words of power or maybe laws? Is it “Geschenke der Menschheit”? Curator: Something along the lines of "Gifts of Humanity" – perhaps linking back to that symbolic exchange enacted in front of the altar. Editor: Maybe the toga-clad fellow there represents not necessarily a person, but the need to have “Bibelske Charakteristik” in humanity, maybe through these symbolic offerings. You know, that would be quite the scene in modern days – smoke signals replaced with emails and DMs! But I still appreciate the intent that the engraving portrays. Curator: Indeed! Friedrich offers us, in this little vignette, not just an artistic representation but a window onto how these narratives played into shaping values in his time, that dialogue between the individual, the divine, and societal structures is vividly captured. Editor: Nicely put! Made me feel connected across centuries.