Don Quichot voor de herberg 1770

This small, finely detailed etching of Don Quixote before the inn was created by Daniel Chodowiecki, a Polish-German artist active in the late 18th century. The piece captures a scene from Miguel de Cervantes' novel, where Don Quixote, the self-proclaimed knight-errant, perceives an ordinary inn as a grand castle. Chodowiecki, living in an era of burgeoning print culture, catered to a growing middle class eager for accessible art. His illustrations often depicted scenes from literature and daily life, reflecting the social values and moral sentiments of the Enlightenment. Here, we see Don Quixote on horseback, his armor comically antiquated, greeted by figures outside the inn who appear amused or perhaps bemused by his grand delusion. The work speaks to the theme of idealism versus reality, a tension that resonates deeply across gender, class and social strata. Chodowiecki's Don Quixote is not merely a figure of ridicule but a character embodying the human capacity for imagination and the yearning for a more heroic existence.