Twee scènes uit Gellert's Fabelen 1776

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made these two scenes from Gellert’s Fables as an etching in the late 18th century. The images illustrate stories that use animals to convey moral lessons, a popular genre at the time. Produced in Germany, these fables and their accompanying illustrations tapped into a growing interest in education and moral improvement among the middle classes. The market for accessible art expanded, and prints like these became a way for people to engage with cultural and intellectual ideas in their homes. This was also an era in which new institutions like public museums were beginning to take shape. The print medium allowed people to create their own collections of art in miniature. To fully understand Chodowiecki’s work, scholars consult not only the prints themselves but also the literary sources that inspired them and the social context in which they were created and consumed. Art history thus helps us understand the changing role of art in society.