Portrait of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand 1780 - 1827

Jean-Baptiste-François Bosio rendered "Portrait of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand" with pen and brown ink, and brush with brown wash. The sitter, Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was a prominent military figure during the late 18th century. His stance, leaning against a stone inscribed with what appears to be an honorific, emphasizes his status. The sweeping landscape and military garb all speak to the power structures that defined his era. Bosio's choice of medium, using delicate ink washes, softens the edges of this portrayal of power. It brings an intimacy to the Duke that monumental oil paintings of the time often lack. What emerges is a sense of the person within the Duke, someone who navigated a world of war and aristocracy. It's in these subtle details that we see the complexities of identity. Bosio seems to ask, what does it mean to be both an individual and a symbol of authority?