577 - F. GEYSER (1772–1846), Family Portrait, circa 1892, Etching

F. GEYSER (1772–1846), Family Portrait, circa 1892, Etching Friedrich Christian Gottlieb Geyser (1772, Leipzig – 1846, ibid.): Family Portrait, 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-line style after Johann David Schubert (1761 Dresden – c. 1822). It is highly probable that this “family portrait” served as an illustrative engraving for a literary work. In the 18th century, family guidebooks, as well as almanacs and pocket calendars, often featured illustrations intended to convey the happiness of domestic life to the reader. Although these depictions rarely had a counterpart in reality, they provided contemporaries with a desirable counter-image to their own lived experience. Not unlike our depiction are numerous works by Daniel Chodowiecki (1718–1801), who illustrated many new publications, some more, some less moralizing. 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—just 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 framed within a shape that lies between a circle and an oval. Unclouded harmony is also conveyed by the figures, who are characterized by extremely affectionate interaction and mutual eye contact. With the two youngest children in their arms, the mother and father represent the ideal of a happy family, toward whom the other three children look devoutly. In the center of the picture and at the top of the composition is the mother, whose thoughtful gaze is directed at her caring husband. A distinctive feature is the “keyhole effect,” in which the viewer witnesses the intimacy of the domestic scene as if through a peephole. During his artistic career, Johann David Schubert frequently provided engraving designs for paperbacks and novels—including illustrations for Goethe’s *Werther*—but he also created patterns for the Meissen porcelain manufactory. Friedrich Christian Gottlieb Geyser, who is said to have etched this print in 1792,¹ was primarily active as a reproduction printmaker, with ink and stippling among his preferred techniques. A series of collaborative illustrations by Schubert and Geyser appeared in 1794 in the new edition of the “Moralische[n] Kinderklapper.” Bibliography: 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 remnants