CHODOWIECKI, DANIEL, a distinguished miniature-painter and etcher of the 18th century, was born at Danzig in 1726. His father was a tradeaman of Danzig, and Daniel was brought up and continued in the business until his father'a death in 1740. In 1743 he removed to Berlin, and entered into the aerviee of an uncle, who aeems to have kept a general store. One class of articles which he :told was painted anuff-boxes, the paintings of which were all executed by in his leisure hours, many of them on enamel, which art his uncle had had him taught for the purpose. The deaigns were all copied from prints, and were, according to Chodowiecki's own account, miserable perform ances : his whole 'knowledge of drawing and painting he had learnt from an aunt in Danaig. Cbodowiecki continued some time employed in this humble way, until through his enamehmaster, Hasid, he made the acquaintance of some of the artist. of Berlin, whose works and conversation excited his ambition, and induced him in the year 1754 to devote himself arduously and exclusively to art, lie commenced as a mluiaturwpainter, and met with considerable success, but he soon forsook this tedious art for etching. He etched chiefly from his own designs, and as an etcher he ultimately obtained a reputation equal if not superior to that of any artist of his age In Europe. His etchings are very numerous, amounting to at least two thousand, but they are meetly small, and the greater pert were executed for booksellers. A print...11er of Berlin, of the name of Jakoby, published a complete
catalogue of his print. in 1814, in one volume octavo ;, there is also a loos hat of them In his autobiography Inserted in Meusel s arranged chronologically ; and another in Heineken's 'Dictionary,' arranged according to the subjects, consisting of heads, portraits, his sacred and profane, figures, and original compositions; landscapes, illustrations for pocket-books and almanacs, from novels, de., and frontispieces, vignettes, and tail-pieces for various works. The works engraved after Chodowiecki's designs or drawings by other engravers are less numerous than his own etchings, but amount never theless to some hundreds, Including several designs for Lavater's work on • Physiognomy,' engraved by J. 11. Lips and others.
Chodowieckl was director of the Royal Academy of the Arta of Berlin, where he died in 1801. Many of his designs are satirical, and he has been called the Hogarth of Berlin. All his works, though on a small matey are remarkable for their expression, and the character is seldom exaggerated ; his subjects are chiefly illustrative of common life or contemporary and recent history. Many novels aod other light works which he illustrated, owed their success chiefly and in some cases entirely to his vignettes ; and the 'Almanac' of the Berlin Academy, which he Illustrated from the year 1770, had, from the same cause, a very extensive circulation.