577 - F. GEYSER (1772-1846), Family portrait, around 1892, Etching

F. GEYSER (1772-1846), Family portrait, around 1892, Etching Friedrich Christian Gottlieb Geyser (1772 Leipzig - 1846 ibid.): Family picture, c. 1892, Etching Technique: Etching on Paper Inscription: Inscribed below the image on the left: "J. D. Schubert de.", signed on the right in the printing plate: "F. C. Geyser fc:". Date: c. 1892 Description: Dotted style after Johann David Schubert (1761 Dresden - c. 1822). It is highly probable that the "family picture" served as an illustration engraving for a literary work. In the 18th century, family guidebooks as well as almanacs and pocket calendars often featured graphics that were intended to demonstrate the happiness of the domestic idyll to the reader. Although these depictions rarely found a counterpart in reality, they provided contemporaries with a desirable counter-image to their own lifeworld. Not dissimilar to our depiction are numerous works by Daniel Chodowiecki (1718-1801), who illustrated many new publications, sometimes more, sometimes less moralising. One example is the title page for a new edition of Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel's influential treatise "On Marriage", in which Chodowiecki created a similar ideal of a small group at peace with itself in 1792, as our "family picture" also depicts. The present depiction of a family of seven can be regarded as a symbol of the purest idyll, harmoniously inserted into the format between round and oval. Unclouded harmony is also conveyed by the persons, who are characterised by extremely affectionate interaction and mutual eye contact. With the two youngest children in their arms, mother and father represent the ideal of a happy family, to which the other three children look devoutly. In the centre of the picture and at the same time at the top of the composition is the mother, whose thoughtful gaze is directed at her caring husband. Characteristic is the "keyhole effect", in which the viewer witnesses the intimacy of the domestic scene like a voyeur. During his artistic career, Johann David Schubert often provided engraving designs for paperbacks and novels, including illustrations for Goethe's "Werther", but he also produced patterns for the Meissen porcelain manufactory. Friedrich Christian Gottlieb Geyser, who is said to have etched our print in 1792,1 was mainly active as a reproduction printmaker, with ink and stipple being among his preferred techniques. A series of joint illustrations by Schubert and Geyser appeared in 1794 in the new edition of the "Moralische[n] Kinderklapper". Literature: Ulrich Thieme, Felix Becker : Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart; Leipzig 1920; vol. 13; p. 516. Keywords: Family, Portrait, Germany, Idyll, Prints, 19th century, Romanticism, Portraits, Germany, Size: Paper: 13,1 cm x 14,5 cm (5,2 x 5,7 in) Condition: Good condition. Fair condition with slight signs of age. In the margin with rest