Palmerin tot ridder geslagen en Palmerin voor de keizer 1784

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this print, "Palmerin tot ridder geslagen en Palmerin voor de keizer", its date currently unknown. Chodowiecki lived during the Enlightenment, a period that valued reason and individualism, yet he also navigated the rigid social structures of 18th-century Europe. This print presents two scenes from the Palmerin romance novels, reflecting the chivalric ideals that were still pervasive in the cultural imagination, even as society was rapidly changing. The images offer a lens through which we can view the era's gender dynamics and power structures. In the knighting scene, we see Palmerin being granted entry into a brotherhood defined by codes of honor and service. The second scene, set in the Emperor's court, highlights the relationship between power and the individual, with Palmerin standing before the ultimate authority. It is in these relationships, imbued with ritual and expectation, that we might consider how identity was performed and reinforced in the 18th century. Romance narratives offered a script that both idealized and complicated the realities of social life.