Christus en Maria Magdalena in een omheinde tuin 1824

Johann Nepomuk Strixner made this drawing, "Christ and Mary Magdalene in an enclosed garden," using paper and pencil. The drawing is a copy of an earlier painting of the same subject by Hans Holbein the Elder. As a historical copy, the work raises interesting questions about the role of institutions in defining the meaning of art. Strixner was commissioned to make copies such as this one for a publishing house that sought to document German art before its potential destruction in war. His drawing served the conservative and nationalist project of preserving an artistic heritage. At the same time, however, by making the work available to a wider public, it could be seen as democratizing art and thus challenging traditional hierarchies. A closer look at sources relating to German art and politics in the early 19th century would enrich our understanding of the work.