Drie illustraties voor Basedow's Agathokrator 1771

Editor: This is "Drie illustraties voor Basedow's Agathokrator" or, "Three illustrations for Basedow's Agathokrator" created in 1771 by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. They’re three little vignettes, almost like storyboards etched in ink. They remind me of something you might find in a very elaborate, old children's book. What do you make of these little scenes? Curator: You know, I’m immediately struck by their intimacy, aren’t you? Chodowiecki is giving us a glimpse into, perhaps, three different facets of enlightenment life? Look closely. In one, a grand building overlooks a busy square. The energy! Then a bustling street scene, commerce humming… And finally, what appears to be a…tutoring session? Do you see that unruly child hiding underneath the table? Editor: Yes! It looks like a formal lesson perhaps, or even a…courtroom scene almost. Why do you call it ‘intimate’? Curator: Because although Chodowiecki worked on commission to illustrate many books, it's in these kinds of images where we see his personality come through, don’t we? Little humorous details. He is showing us the breadth of social classes at this time through his rendering of different places. He seems invested, he brings these little stories to life! I think it is special. What jumps out for you? Editor: That idea of intimate storytelling versus grand history. I'd have called this history painting! I now see what a crucial skill it is to zoom into the character details in such intricate works. Curator: Exactly! That push and pull between the epic and the everyday, the grand and the human… that's where the magic lies, I think.