778 - J. RAAB (*1825) after KAULBACH (*1805), Goethe as a Skater, Copper engraving

J. RAAB (*1825) after KAULBACH (*1805), Goethe as a Skater, Copper engraving Johann Leonhard Raab (1825 Schwaningen – 1899 Munich) after Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1805 Arolsen – 1874 Munich): Goethe as an ice skater on the Main, 19th century, copper engraving Technique: Copper engraving on paper Date: 19th century Description: As one of 21 panels from Wilhelm von Kaulbach’s Goethe Gallery (1857), this scene of the young Goethe gliding with youthful elegance on ice skates across the frozen Main stands out as a particularly cheerful depiction. Under the admiring gaze of the ladies present—among whom the poet’s mother, his sister, and Maximiliane Brentano can be seen on the right—he skates with great vigor while a boy behind him pays homage to him on the slippery ice. Alluding to an episode from *Poetry and Truth* (vol. IV, book 16), Kaulbach depicts Goethe wrapped in his mother’s warm fur on a freezing winter’s day. With his curly head raised carefree, the skater barely notices the appraising gaze of a young beauty in the foreground, who could be identified as his brief fiancée, Lili Schönemann. In the poems “Four Seasons” and “The Ice Rink,” Goethe himself described the wintry pleasure of ice skating in a manner ranging from affectionate to ironic, thus providing Kaulbach with a vivid literary model. Keywords: Wilhelm von Kaulbach; Goethe Gallery; Scene; Young Goethe; Skating; Main; Merriment; Admiring glances; Ladies; Mother; Sister; Maximiliane Brentano; Boy; Ice; Poetry and Truth; Fur; Ice skater; Lili Schönemann; Poems; Four Seasons; The Ice Rink; literary model; 19th century; Biedermeier; Genre; Germany; Size: Paper: 29.9 cm x 21.1 cm (11.8 x 8.3 in), additional specification: Paper: 39 x 24.8 cm Condition: Very good condition. Pale foxing and faint soiling are visible on the edge of the sheet.