Portret van een onbekende oude vrouw 1752 - 1811

This portrait of an unknown old woman was made by Carl Friedrich Holtzmann, probably in the late 18th or early 19th century. The print depicts a woman of obvious importance. The inscription tells us that this is the Countess of Werthern, born a Baroness von Stein, a member of the German aristocracy. Holtzmann made this print after an original painting by a man named Dietrich. We can understand this image in relation to the patronage system that shaped artistic production during this period. Aristocratic families like the Wertherns often employed artists, commissioning portraits that would reinforce their status and identity. The print would have circulated among a wider audience than the original painting. This speaks to the social function of art at the time, reinforcing class structures and systems of power. To get a clearer picture of Holtzmann's career and the role he played in German art, we would want to examine archives and collections documenting the artists and patrons of the time.