Bildnis Von Karl Vom Holtz 

Joseph Anton Koch painted this portrait of Karl Vom Holtz with oil on canvas, and it measures 80 by 102 centimeters. Koch was a leading figure of the Nazarene movement. The portrait is an interesting reflection of class and gender in the early 19th century. Karl Vom Holtz is depicted as a refined gentleman, with his clothes and cane signaling status and taste. Yet, he is also placed in nature, perhaps to reflect the growing Romantic ideas about the relationship between man and the natural world. Koch paints Vom Holtz as both an individual and as a figure representing particular societal values. The painting is a product of its time, a moment when artists were looking at the individual in relation to the landscapes that shaped them. It invites us to reflect on the relationships between identity, status, and the natural world.