Artwork
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel. It dates from 1771 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1771, this self‑portrait by Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel is executed as an etching combined with drypoint on laid paper. The work belongs to the portrait genre and exemplifies the artist’s practice of rendering himself with the same directness he applied to his numerous depictions of Jewish rabbis and communal leaders.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a man wearing a wide‑brimmed hat and a high‑collared coat, his hands folded together as if holding a small object. The plain background and restrained composition focus attention on the sitter’s facial expression and attire, suggesting a modest, introspective self‑representation rather than an elaborate narrative.
Technique & Style
Nothnagel employed both etching and drypoint, allowing him to incise lines directly onto a copper plate. The drypoint scratches produce dark, ragged edges that contrast with the smoother etched lines, giving the portrait a tactile, slightly rough quality. Ink transferred from the plate to the laid paper yields a deep, matte finish.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during Nothnagel’s active period in the late eighteenth century, a time when he was known for illustrating Jewish historical texts. While the original plate’s whereabouts are unknown, copies of the portrait have circulated in scholarly publications on Jewish history, attesting to its continued relevance.
Context
Nothnagel, a German‑Jewish artist, frequently blended historical documentation with imaginative portraiture, a practice reflected in this self‑portrait. The work aligns with the broader eighteenth‑century European print tradition, where artists used etching and drypoint to disseminate images of notable figures to a literate audience.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel
Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel (1729–1804) was a German Jewish painter who painted famous paintings of Jewish rabbis and leaders.
