Don Quichot en de zes vrouwen 1770

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this print, 'Don Quichot en de zes vrouwen' or 'Don Quixote and the six women,' using etching, a printmaking technique. Born in Poland and working in 18th-century Berlin, Chodowiecki was a master of the small-scale, illustrative genre scene. Here, we see a moment of domesticity with a twist: Don Quixote, the famously delusional protagonist of Cervantes' novel, is being attended to by a group of women, perhaps servants or members of the court he imagines himself to be a part of. In Enlightenment Europe, Cervantes’ novel was interpreted as a critique of outdated aristocratic values. Chodowiecki’s era saw the rise of a reading public, fueled by new printing technologies and expanding literacy. His prints, often made as illustrations for books and magazines, brought art to a wider audience. Prints like this one offer us a glimpse into the social and cultural landscape of 18th-century Europe, shaped by shifts in class, literacy, and artistic production. We can trace this history through archival research into the artist's life, the publishing industry of the time, and the reception of Cervantes' novel in different social circles.