588 - A. HOFFMANN (*1810) after HOFFMANN (*1776), Portrait of Julius von Voß, after E. T. A. Hoffmann, etc.

A. HOFFMANN (*1810) after HOFFMANN (*1776), Portrait of Julius von Voß, after E. T. A. Hoffmann, etc. August Hoffmann (1810, Elberfeld – 1872, Berlin), after E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776, Königsberg – 1822, Berlin): Portrait of Julius von Voß, after E. T. A. Hoffmann, 19th century, etching Technique: Etching on paper Catalog Raisonné: , 105 Inscription: inscribed at the bottom of the plate: “Muthmaßliches Bild des Julius Voß,” inscribed and signed below: “gez v E.T.W. Hoffmann rad v. A. Hoffmann” Date: 19th century Description: This etching by the Düsseldorf-trained graphic artist August Hoffmann reproduces a drawing by E. T. A. Hoffmann—now lost—which he created during his time in Bamberg between 1809 and 1813. Hoffmann met the writer Julius von Voß in Glogau, where he had been transferred due to some unpopular reform proposals in the military. Although Voß likely led a dissolute life and had a dubious reputation, Hoffmann seems to have felt a spiritual kinship with him. Like Hoffmann himself, Voß was active in many of the arts—painting, writing, and composing. The two met again in Berlin in 1807. However, the drawing itself was created during a cheerful evening in Bamberg with the publisher and friend Carl Friedrich Kunz, during which Voß’s comedy *La retraite pour les Dames* was read. After the roaring laughter at the obscene humor of this “one-act farce” had subsided, Hoffmann answered Kunz’s question about Voss’s personality with a quick portrait sketch from memory, hence the addition “presumably.” August Hoffmann ultimately created the present etching from that drawing for the five-volume publication *E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Erzählungen aus seiner letzten Lebensjahren* (E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Tales from the Last Years of His Life) in 1839. Our copy appears to be a separate print not included in the book edition, characterized by a clearer line drawing and still-visible engraving samples in the margin. Bibliography: Ponert, Dietmar Jürgen: E.T.A. Hoffmann—das bildkünstlerische Werk; Petersberg 2012. Cat. Rais. No.: 105. Keywords: 19th century, Romanticism, Portraits, Germany, Size: Paper: 14.3 cm x 10.9 cm (5.6 x 4.3 in), Image: 13.7 cm x 9.8 cm (5.4 x 3.9 in) Condition: Very good condition. Condition consistent with age. Slightly stained.