Joseph Adolf Schmetterling
Joseph Adolf Schmetterling was an artist known for his drawings and silhouette portraits, active during a focused period between 1775 and 1785 in the late 18th century. Schmetterling specialized in the creation of highly detailed profile likenesses, a characteristic style of affordable portraiture during the era.
His extant body of work is preserved in major institutions, with fifteen drawings represented in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. These works document his consistent focus on the genre, including pieces such as Silhouetportret van een onbekende man, mogelijk K.P. Stambke and Silhouet van een staande man met pijp en open boek.
The collection held at the Rijksmuseum further details Schmetterling's professional practice through works specifically devoted to commercial promotion, such as the drawing titled Aanprijzing van de silhouetportretten van Joseph Adolf Schmetterling. These works are vital records of historical graphic arts and portraiture. Today, many of Schmetterling’s delicate drawings are recognized as public domain resources, enabling institutions to offer downloadable artwork and high-quality prints derived from the original museum-quality documents.
