Artist: Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki
Date: 1777
Museum: Ossoliński National Institute (Wrocław, Poland)
Technique: Print
Bookplates (ex-librises) can contain interesting symbols which allow to indicate who the owner was, what he did for a living, and sometimes, especially when it is a personal bookplate that an artist made for himself, it includes allusions to his interests and passions. Therefore, a bookplate may not only be a sign of ownership, but also a source of knowledge about the owner. Daniel Chodowiecki came from a Polish-German noble family. He made his first artistic attempts while staying with his uncle in Berlin. With time, he became very skilled in art, until he was finally noticed by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Berlin. However, it was his work Jean Calas Bidding Farewell to his Family that really made him popular.In his own bookplate, Chodowiecki depicted Mother Nature with several breasts symbolising abundance and fertility. A boy sucks milk from one of the breasts, which can be interpreted as drawing from nature. The scene is shown as if through a window frame bearing the artist’s name, with a palette, brushes and drawing utensils placed above the name. The accessories indicate the owner of the bookplate’s profession, while the allegorical figure – his most important source of inspiration. In Chodowiecki’s art these elements are clearly graspable – various additions to the composition indicate a close observation of nature and a keen eye for small elements of everyday life.
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