Ein Wald in einer Ebene, durch den ein Weg mit einer Furt führt, links ein berittener Reisender, jenseits der Furt eine Viehherde 

Franz Kobell created this pen and brown ink drawing, "A Forest in a Plain, with a Path Leading Through a Ford," sometime between 1762 and 1822. Kobell, living during the Enlightenment, was part of a cultural shift that celebrated reason and individualism, yet his work evokes a sense of romanticism. The drawing depicts an idealized view of rural life, steeped in the era's social hierarchy. The lone rider may represent the landed gentry, while the cattle hint at agrarian labor and the common person's dependence on the land. The forest itself, rendered with careful detail, becomes a stage where social roles play out. Kobell does not directly challenge the status quo; instead, he finds beauty within it. The emotional depth of the artwork lies in its nostalgic portrayal of a world on the cusp of significant change. The drawing invites us to reflect on how we perceive our place within the social landscape.