Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician - Antoine Pesne

A formal 1735 engraving of the physician Friedrich Hoffmann, designed by Antoine Pesne and executed by Johann Georg Wolfgang.

This engraving depicts Friedrich Hoffmann, a physician of considerable standing in the eighteenth century. The portrait is presented within an oval frame, a common convention for formal academic or professional likenesses of the period. Hoffmann is shown in three-quarter profile, wearing the periwig and formal attire appropriate to his status as a court physician and academic. His hand rests upon a large volume, suggesting his dedication to medical study and the dissemination of knowledge.

The composition employs the visual language of the Baroque era, incorporating a heavy draped curtain in the background to provide a sense of theatre and gravitas. The plinth below the oval frame features a coat of arms and a detailed Latin inscription, which lists the subject's titles and affiliations, including his role as a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. The precision of the line work captures the texture of his velvet coat and the fine lace at his cuffs, demonstrating the technical skill required for high-quality reproductive printmaking in the 1730s.

Antoine Pesne, a French painter who spent much of his career in the service of the Prussian court, provided the original design for this print. The engraving itself was executed by Johann Georg Wolfgang. This collaboration reflects the standard practice of the time, where painters often relied on skilled engravers to circulate their portraits to a wider audience. The work functions as a record of the intellectual elite in Prussia, documenting the intersection of medical science and courtly life. The formal arrangement and the inclusion of scholarly attributes provide a clear indication of how the subject wished to be perceived by his contemporaries: as a man of both medicine and high social standing.