Portret van Aemilie Juliana, Gräfin von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 1701 - 1763

This is Johann Benjamin Brühl’s etching of Aemilie Juliane, Countess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Aemilie Juliane was a Countess in the early 1700s, but she’s more well-known as a prolific writer of hymns. During her lifetime, Pietism, a movement that emphasized personal piety and living a life of devotion, gained traction. Aemilie Juliane became a key figure in the movement, reflecting its emphasis on the individual's direct relationship with God. In this print we see Aemilie with her lamb, resting her head on it in her final repose. Above her an angel flies down from the heavens with the Eucharist. The objects around her allude to her earthly accomplishments. The text translates to, ‘copy newly printed’. It captures the deeply personal and emotional connection that Aemilie Juliane fostered through her hymns. It acknowledges her life's work, and her lasting influence in nurturing a more intimate form of religious expression.