Portret van August von Hoff 1792

J.S.L. Halle created this portrait of August von Hoff using etching techniques. It captures a man who was both a criminal judge and a professor of natural law at the Military Academy in Berlin. Consider how the portrayal of von Hoff embodies the complex relationship between law, nature, and military power in the 18th century. His wig and formal attire speak to the conventions of power and status of the time. Yet, the portrait also hints at the tensions inherent in these roles; that of maintaining social order through law and potentially disrupting it through military action. This piece invites us to reflect on the individuals who shape the course of justice and education, and perhaps question the values that underpin those systems. It is a personal study of an individual who had an important role in Prussian society.