Portrait Caspar Voght (1752-1839)

In the west wing on the second floor are the former private rooms of the Jenisch family. Today, the rooms are dedicated to the life and work of the Caspar Voght (1752–1839), a figure in the philosophical and intellectual Enlightenment movement. The Hamburg businessman, together with his friend and business partner Georg Heinrich Sieveking, ran one of the largest trading houses in Hamburg in the second half of the 18th century. Voght was a key figure in the social development of the Hanseatic city at the time. He took on a pioneering role through his commitment to social, cultural, and scientific projects. One of Voght's important reformation projects involved building an agricultural model estate after the English example in Klein Flottbek in Hamburg. This continues to hold a prominent role in the history of agricultural science and landscape gardening. From this model estate, the key component of the English landscape garden still survives today: Jenisch Park. The French portrait painter Mosnier depicts Voght as an enlightened landowner. The bookcase and view from the window demonstrate his interest in science, gardening, and agriculture.
Paris-born Jean Laurent Mosnier was one of the most famous portrait painters in Hamburg around 1800. His clients came from the well-to-do bourgeoisie and nobility. Mosnier's artistic specialty lies in the depiction of precious fabrics. This is clearly illustrated through the red-black tone present in this portrait of Voght, who is dressed in a dark frock coat and red drapery.
The idealization of the people presented, particularly their faces which are often partially shadowed, shines through Mosnier's work. He understands how to attribute character to his subject in terms of both their environment and personality. You can see that he is less concerned with an accurate portrayal of the figure and facial features than with reflecting the inner thoughts of the person portrayed. This is something that an artist must be able to recognize in order to depict the subjects appropriately.