Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder

This etching, executed in a light and brisk manner, is one of the artist’s early works. Based on a painting in his own hand, it is now in the Weißenstein wing of Wilhelmshöhe Palace near Kassel. The scene appears theatrical and might stem from a contemporary opera seria. The elegant, nimble classicism is characteristic of the stylistic period of Louis XV and the refined artistic taste at German princely courts. Tischbein made the etching Thetis and Achilles (Nagler 3) as a companion piece to the present work in the same year. A very fine, delicate and inky impression with margins. Minor ageing, otherwise in excellent condition. From the collection of Johann Nepomuk Seiler (1793-1876, Lugt 3976).