Ruinen auf einem Felssporn, davor eine weidende Herde, in einer Gebirgslandschaft 

Franz Kobell made this drawing of ruins on a spur of rock, with a grazing herd in front, in a mountain landscape, with pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash. This drawing from 18th-century Germany presents an image of nature shaped by the culture and history of human activity, like many other landscapes of its time. The ruined castle could be seen to represent the decline of feudal power, while the grazing animals introduce a motif of peasant life and labor. Artists of this period were often concerned with the relationship between the social order and the natural world. Kobell was part of the Mannheim School of artists, working for the court of the Elector Palatine. This institutional context encouraged the development of idealized landscapes that served to legitimize the power of the ruling class. Further research into the artist's biography, the history of the region, and the patronage system of the time can reveal more about the complex social forces at play in this seemingly simple landscape.