Portret van Johann August Hermes 1787

This is Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki’s etching of Johann August Hermes from 1781. Chodowiecki, living in an era defined by the Enlightenment, captured Hermes, a prominent theologian, in a way that reflects the intellectual and social currents of their time. The portrait, with its neoclassical frame, speaks to the values of reason and order that the Enlightenment championed. But looking closer, one might consider the power dynamics inherent in portraiture of the era, particularly the representation of men in positions of authority. The choice to depict Hermes in profile, a classicizing technique, elevates him to the status of a learned, respectable figure. What does it mean to immortalize a theologian during a period of intellectual upheaval and shifting religious beliefs? Chodowiecki invites us to consider the relationship between faith, reason, and representation during a pivotal moment in history.