"Ächt antike Denkmale"?: Goethe and the Hemsterhuis Gem Collection

Abstract

The small collection of engraved gems selected by Dutch philosopher and connoisseur Frans Hemsterhuis was, for more than thirty years, a source of fascination for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This article examines the aesthetic principles on which Hemsterhuis based the formation of his collection and traces the collection's reception and influence on Goethe. Motifs illustrating the classical ideal, be they of Greek or modern origin, were the primary justification for inclusion, with authenticity playing a subsidiary role in the collection. Hemsterhuis's appreciation of the Greek ideal was based purely on stylistic characteristics, formal components dependent entirely on observation. Analysis of the dating attributions for this collection since its formation demonstrate claims of authenticity based on connoisseur-ship to be permanently in a state of flux. The collection also informs aspects of Goethe's own principles of classification.